Blue Flag South Africa
2011 has been an exciting year so far. While WESSA celebrates its 85th anniversary, South Africa also celebrates 10 years of the Blue Flag programme in South Africa. Blue Flag is an international coastal management programme that accredits beaches (and marinas elsewhere in the world). Beaches must meet standards of excellence in water quality, environmental management, environmental education and information as well as safety and services. The Blue Flag programme offers many benefits: improved tourism facilities, enhanced management of coastal ecosystems, increased awareness of the coast and capacity building of coastal municipalities.
WESSA is proud to be the organisation selected by the international Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to implement FEE programmes in South Africa. It is also a “feather in our cap” that South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to implement Blue Flag, and in so doing, created opportunities for Blue Flag to become a truly global programme. In 2011, there are 42 countries participating in the programme.
The programme continues to grow sustainably with twenty-seven local beaches achieving accreditation for the current year. Challenges to maintaining Blue Flag beaches here in South Africa are land-based impacts on sea-water quality and the deteriorating capacity of local authorities to achieve these standards of excellence.
For more information visit: www.blueflag.org.za.
Project contact details:
Ted Knott (National Coastal Projects Manager)
Tel 082 337 1273
E-mail: ted@wessa.co.za