Taking South Africa’s coastal voice global
WESSA’s Senior Coastal Programme Manager, Mike Denison, recently represented South Africa at the Blue Flag National Operators Meeting in Germany. Hosted by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the meeting brought together national operators from around the world to exchange experiences, share insights and discuss the future direction of the programme.
These international engagements provide an opportunity to share knowledge, strengthen relationships and contribute to the continued development of the Blue Flag programme. We look forward to sharing more about the insights and learnings Mike brings back to South Africa.
Growing our coastal network
South Africa’s coastal conservation network continues to grow, with four new Green Coast sites and five new Blue Flag beaches joining the WESSA Coastal Programmes family.
The new Green Coast sites are Southbroom Main Beach (Ray Nkonyeni Municipality), Nahoon Estuary to Reef (Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality), Kanon Beach (Mossel Bay) and Happy Valley (Richtersveld
Pictured: (left to the right, top: Nahoon Estuary to Reef – Buffalo City Metro Municipality representatives; Ray Nkonyeni Municipality representatives; (bottom left to right): Happy Valley – Richtersveld Municipality representatives; Kanon Beach – Mossel Bay representatives. * all photos include WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete on the left, Kathy Young, Blue Flag International director, and Janssen Davies, WESSA Chairperson on the right.
The five new Blue Flag beaches are Bazley, Umthwalume, Rocky Bay, Preston (Umdoni Municipality) and Club Med – Tinley Manor Beach (KwaDukuza Municipality). These additions reflect the continued commitment of coastal communities and municipal partners to sustainable coastal management.
Pictured: (top): KwaDukuza Municipality representatives; (bottom): Umdoni Municipality representatives. *all photos include WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete on the left, Kathy Young, Blue Flag International director and Janssen Davies, WESSA Chairperson on the right.
More from our Coastal Programmes
As preparations continue for the new Blue Flag season opening on 1 December, coastal teams and partners are working behind the scenes to get sites ready for summer.
This year also marks 25 years of Blue Flag in South Africa. The milestone was celebrated at the 2026 Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards in Hermanus, where 62 Blue Flags and 19 Green Coast sites were recognised.
[Read more about the awards and recognised sites.]
At the 2026 Coastal Celebrations, WESSA also spotlighted its Stop the Strangle campaign, which is building a connected network of coastal stewards and advocates to raise awareness and take action against ghost fishing.
On 7 October, we hosted a Knowledge Share and Networking Day in Gansbaai, bringing together Blue Flag and Green Coast operators for a day of learning, collaboration and connection.
The programme included expert presentations exploring marine entanglements and pollution, the role of shark cage diving in supporting public education and marine research and current research into these vital areas. This was followed by an ocean safari and a visit to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, where partners learnt more about the threats facing African penguins and the conservation efforts underway to protect them.
Pictured (top to bottom right, left): WESSA team partners at Walker Bay Nature Reserve viewpoint, Walker Bay Klipgat cave, De Kelders; African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary – observing the penguins.
Finally, we are delighted to welcome Amber Konstant, WESSA’s new Coastal Operations Manager.
Her experience includes managing programme budgets, coordinating stakeholders and supporting donor reporting across multiple partners and regions – experience that aligns closely with the collaborative and impact-driven nature of WESSA’s coastal programmes.
