Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area

Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area

marine protected area of South Africa

Country	South Africa
Coordinate location	33°8′0″S 18°3′0″E
Significant place	Langebaan

Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area be inshore conservation area wey dey insyd territorial waters of South Africa.

History

Langebaan Lagoon first cam be marine reserve under Sea Fisheries Act for 1973. For 1985, dem include am insyd Langebaan National Park, wey later change name go West Coast National Park. For 25 April 1988, dem declare Langebaan Ramsar site. De Marine Protected Area (MPA) later cam be official when Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, proclaim am for Government Gazette No. 21948 of 29 December 2000 under section 43 of Marine Living Resources Act, 18 of 1998.

Purpose

Marine protected area be area wey IUCN define as “clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated den managed thru legal anaa other effective means to achieve long-term conservation of nature together plus ecosystem services den cultural values”.

Langebaan Lagoon saltmarshes be unique for South Africa because no river dey flow enter de lagoon. Dem cover about 32% of all saltmarsh habitat for de whole country. De salinity dey quite stable, den de area support plenty molluscs den crustaceans plus different types of seaweed. De lagoon be breeding den nursery ground for young fishes, wey e support about 55,000 water birds during summer, wey dey include 23 species of waders.

Extent

About 65 km coastline den 280 km² sea area be protected under dis MPA.

Boundaries

De MPA boundary dey follow high-water mark insyd Langebaan Lagoon from south of northern boundary. De northern boundary be line from Leentjiesklip No.2 (S33°03.707′, E018°2.462′) go Salamander Point (S33°04.323′, E017°59.795′), reach seaward boundary of South African National Defence Force area as dem mark am plus buoys shown for SAN Chart SC2. From der, boundary continue follow dat line reach yellow buoy east of Meeu Island (S33°05.166′, E018°00.809′), then go Perlemoen Point (S33°05.590′, E018°00.211′) for western side of de lagoon.

Zonation

Dem lagoon divide into three zones. Controlled zone for north allow recreational fishing den power boating; restricted zone allow only non-powered vessels den no fishing; sanctuary zone for south totally closed for all access.

Management

Saldanha Bay den de lagoon (below), dem see from space

South African National Parks (SANParks) dey manage de MPA to make sure say dem protect de marine resources well den use dem insyd a sustainable way.

De Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries wey dem dey issue permits, quotas, den enforce de law.

Geography

Climate

De climate of de South-western Cape be markedly different from de rest of South Africa, wich be a summer rainfall region, wey dey receive chaw of ein rainfall during de summer months of December to February. De South-western Cape get a Mediterranean type climate, plus chaw of ein rainfall during de winter months from June to September.

During de summer de dominant factor wey dey determine de weather insyd de region be a high pressure zone, dem know as de South Atlantic High, wey locate over de South Atlantic Ocean to de west of de Cape coast. Winds wey dey circulate insyd an anticlockwise direction from such a system reach de Cape from de south-east, wey dey produce periods of up to several days of high winds den mostly clear skies. Dese winds keep de region relatively cool. secof ein west coast location, de area be exposed to dese winds.

Winter insyde South-western Cape be characterised by disturbances insyd de circumpolar westerly winds, wey dey result in a series of eastward moving depressions. Dese bring cool cloudy weather den rain from de north west.

Ecology

Marine ecoregions of the South African Exclusive Economic Zone: Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area is in the Benguela ecoregion

De MPA be insyd de warm temperate Benguela ecoregion to de west of Cape Point wich dey extend northwards to de Orange River. Der be a fairly large proportion of species endemic to South Africa along dis coastline.

Four major habitats exist insyd de sea insyd dis region, wey be distinguished by de nature of de substrate. De substrate, anaa base material, be important in dat e dey provide a base to wich an organism fi anchor einself, wich be vitally important for those organisms wich need to stay insyd one particular kind of place. Rocky shores den reefs provide a firm fixed substrate for de attachment of plants den animals. Some of dese fi get kelp forests, wich reduce de effect of waves den provide food den shelter for an extended range of organisms. Sandy beaches den bottoms be a relatively unstable substrate wey no fi anchor kelp anaa chaw of de other benthic organisms. Finally der be open water, above de substrate den clear of de kelp forest, wer de organisms for drift anaa swim. Mixed habitats sanso frequently be found, wich be a combination of those mentioned above.

Rocky shores den reefs

Der be rocky reefs den mixed rocky den sandy bottoms. For chaw marine organisms de substrate be anoda type of marine organism, wey e be common for several layers to co-exist. Examples of dis be red bait pods, wich usually be encrusted plus sponges, ascidians, bryozoans, anemones, den gastropods, den abalone, wich usually be covered by similar seaweeds to those dem find on de surrounding rocks, usually plus a variety of other organisms wey dey live on de seaweeds.

De type of rock of de reef be of sam importance, as e dey influence de range of possibilities for de local topography, wich in turn dey influence de range of habitats dem provide, den therefore de diversity of inhabitants. Sandstone den oda sedimentary rocks erode wey weather very differently, den dey depend on de direction of dip den strike, den steepness of de dip, fi produce reefs wich relatively be flat to very high profile den full of small crevices. Dese features fi be at varying angles to de shoreline den wave fronts. Der be fewer large holes, tunnels den crevices insyd sandstone reefs, buh often many deep buh low near-horizontal crevices.

Kelp forests

Kelp forests be a variation of rocky reefs, as de kelp dey require a fairly strong den stable substrate wich fi withstand de loads of repeated waves wey dey drag on de kelp plants. De sea bamboo Ecklonia maxima dey grow insyd water wich be shallow enough to allow am to reach to de surface plus ein gas-filled stipes, so dat de fronds form a dense layer at anaa just below de surface, wey dey depend on de tide. De shorter split-fan kelp Laminaria pallida dey grow mostly on deeper reefs, wer der no be so much competition from de sea bamboo. Both dese kelp species provide food den shelter give a variety of oda organisms, particularly de sea bamboo, wich be a base give a wide range of epiphytes, wich in turn provide food den shelter give more organisms.

Saltmarshes of Langebaan

Sandy beaches den bottoms (wey dey include shelly, pebble den gravel bottoms)

Sandy bottoms at first glance dey appear to be fairly barren areas, as dem lack de stability to support chaw of de spectacular reef based species, den de variety of large organisms be relatively low. De sand continually be moved around by wave action, to a greater anaa lesser degree wey dey depend on weather conditions den exposure of de area. Dis dey mean say sessile organisms for be specifically adapted to areas of relatively loose substrate to thrive in them, and the variety of species found on a sandy or gravel bottom will depend on all dese factors. Sandy bottoms get one important compensation give dema instability, animals fi burrow into de sand den move up den down within ein layers, wich fi provide feeding opportunities den protection from predation. Oda species fi dig demaselves holes in wich to shelter, anaa fi feed by filtering water drawn thru de tunnel, anaa by extending body parts dem adapt to dis function into de water above de sand.

De open sea

De pelagic water column be de major part of de living space at sea. Dis be de water between de surface den de top of de benthic zone, wer living organisms dey swim, float anaa drift, wey de food chain dey start plus phytoplankton, de mostly microscopic photosynthetic organisms wey convert de energy of sunlight into organic material wich dey feed nearly everything else, directly anaa indirectly. Insyd temperate seas der be distinct seasonal cycles of phytoplankton growth, based on de available nutrients den de available sunlight. Either fi be a limiting factor. Phytoplankton dey tend to thrive wer der be plenty of light, wey dem demselves be a major factor in restricting light penetration to greater depths, so de photosynthetic zone dey tend to be shallower insyd areas of high productivity. Zooplankton dey feed on de phytoplankton, wey dem be in turn eaten by larger animals. De larger pelagic animals be generally faster moving den more mobile, wey dey give dem de option of changing depth to feed anaa to avoid predation, den to move to oda places in search of a better food supply.

Marine species diversity

Animals

• 23 species of wading birds.
• 29 species of bony fish
• 12 shark den ray species, wey dey include sandshark (Rhinobatos annulatus)
• Geelbek
• Cape stumpnose
• Snoek (Thyrsites atun)
• Yellowtail

More dan 400 species of marine invertebrates.

• Siphonaria
• Assiminea globulus

Seaweeds

71 species of marine algae.

Endemism

De MPA dey insyd de warm temperate Benguela ecoregion to de west of Cape Point wich dey extend northwards to de Orange River. Der be a fairly large proportion of species endemic to South Africa along dis coastline.

Alien invasive species

As of April 23, 2025, dem record 29 known alien marine species insyd de marine protected area. One example be de sea beard Amathia verticillata, one invasive bryozoan wey dem discover for 2023. Researchers believe say e likely enter de area thru de nearby Saldanha Bay port secof commercial shipping activities. Dese bryozoans dey cover large areas of seagrass den artificial surfaces like boat hulls den shipwrecks. Dema population dey change plus de seasons—dem reduce during winter den dey cam back again for summer.