The Coastcare label is applied to all coastal development projects that contribute to implementation of the White Paper, encompassing national and provincial priority projects, coastal community projects, education and training programmes, decision support materials and so on. This provides context for the many projects that may appear disjointed without a unifying thread.

Principal Benefits:

• Coastal development that makes the best use of available resources;
• Coastal development that promotes social equity through improved livelihoods of poor coastal communities; and
• A healthy coastal environment for the benefit of current and future generations.

Principal Partners

• Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT);
• Provincial lead departments for coastal management:

Northern Cape : Department of Agriculture, Nature Conservation, Land Reform and Environmental Affairs,
Western Cape : Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Eastern Cape : Department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal : Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs;

• General public;
• Historically disadvantaged coastal communities;
• Local government;
• Non Governmental Organisations; and
• Community Based Organisations.

Duration:

Start: June 2000
Anticipated completion: ongoing

Funding

Approximately R50 million annually for related initiatives from DEAT;
R30 million over a three year period from DFID;
Approximately R10 million annually from provincial governments; and Approximately R2 million annually from private sponsors.

Sustainability

A funding mechanism for a ‘user pays’ principle, where income is invested back into sustainable coastal development initiatives is under investigation. All development projects contain sustainability criteria: appropriate training, infrastructure provision etc, and should lead to sustainable initiatives once grant funding is withdrawn.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ACTION

South Africa’s coast is a rich and diverse national asset. A robust yet delicate system, the coast is a source of opportunity for many South Africans. It is the bedrock of coastal communities and is of immense strategic importance to many economic sectors. It is vital that opportunities afforded by the coast are harnessed and managed in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Research reveals that the value of the direct benefits derived from coastal resources in South Africa could be as high as R168 billion annually, or approximately 35% of the GDP.
Socially, economically and environmentally, equitable development has not been achieved from depleting coastal resources.
South Africa has one of the highest coastal population densities in Africa – about 80 people per square kilometre, compared to the average density for Africa of 55 per square kilometre.
The poorest of the poor in South Africa are amongst the country’s coastal communities and therefore poverty alleviation projects along the coast are essential if South Africa is to be taken seriously on its journey towards sustainable development.

The solution : Coastcare

The White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development was launched by Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism Minister, Valli Moosa in June 2000 after three years of policy development.
Coastcare is the brand name given to implementing the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development. Its vision is for all the people of South Africa to celebrate the diversity, richness and benefits of our coast; to strive together for sustainable development and to assume shared responsibility for the management of our coast in a way that benefits current and future generations.

Coastcare aims for:

• Coastal economic development that makes the best use of available resources
  • Coastal development that promotes social equity through improved livelihoods of poor coastal communities
  • A healthy coastal environment for the benefit of current and future generations.
  Coastcare provides financial and technical assistance for:
  • Coastal development projects
  • Institutional capacity building of coastal management organisations
  • Legal development to support policy
  • Awareness education and training initiatives
  • Coastal resource planning
  • Applied research
  • Coastal information management projects.
  

Coastcare already has over 300 projects along the South African coast – i.e. this is sustainable development in action already. Two of the high profile projects under the Coastcare umbrella are:

WORKING FOR THE COAST
Along the South African coastline, jobs have been created, people are being trained and small businesses are beginning to flourish. The integration of environmental and ecological interests with the development of the coastal economy is both dynamic and and Coastcare is helping the most needy coastal communities.In the first year, 1500 jobs were created.