PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Following lively debate about walking dogs on Plettenberg Bay beaches over the past few years, the Bitou municipality has started a pilot beach-zoning system in an attempt to find a balance between wildlife on the town’s beaches and dog owners.
The Nature’s Valley Trust (NVT) has been instrumental in this endeavour, a culmination of four years' worth of research on the town’s beaches.
It is also part of its #ShareTheShores campaign aimed at finding ways for wildlife and beachgoers to coexist harmoniously.
The greater Plettenberg Bay area has diverse fauna and flora and was classified as an important bird and biodiversity area (IBA) by Birdlife South Africa in 2015.
To maintain this status there was a need to protect shorebirds while also being inclusive to dog owners and holidaymakers who enjoy the area’s beaches.
NVT programme director Dr Mark Brown said that they are very excited about the new dogs-on-beaches zoning system.
On beaches zoned as “green”, dogs are allowed off their leashes, “orange” only allows dogs that are on leashes, and no dogs are allowed on “red” zones.
“This system deals with the main identified conflicts including dogs on birds, dogs on dogs, and dogs on people.
"This allows all beach visitors to choose beaches that best suit them while allowing wildlife that breed on beaches to coexist with people and dogs,” Brown said.
He added that they are grateful to the Plettenberg Bay Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the Plett Animal Welfare Service, the Plett Ratepayers' Association, the Keurbooms Property Owners' Association, the Nature's Valley Ratepayers Association and other stakeholders for working with them to make this a reality.
'Help build awareness'
“We firmly believe that this system can work, as it has elsewhere, if residents and visitors alike do their bit to help us build awareness around it.”
He added that signage would be going up over the next few weeks and these would include a dog regulation board at beach entrances along with transition zone signs on the beaches.
“We need to help each other here. Please chat nicely to dog owners and help us make this work.
"The alternative, which can still happen, is a ban on dogs on beaches, or an enforcement of dogs on leash only on some beaches, which up until now has been the law.
"Dog owners collectively have a chance to make the new system work, but a few irresponsible owners could see us lose this exciting new system.”
He added that the system is “exciting” as for the first time there are beaches where dogs could be responsibly walked off-leash and there are options for beachgoers who do not want to encounter dogs on beaches.
“There are also safe zones for breeding birds, and our Blue Flag Beaches remain dog-free too, as they require.
“A massive thank you goes out to Bitou municipality for agreeing to test this system.”
ARTICLE & PHOTO: YOLANDÉ STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD CORRESPONDENT
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