NATIONAL NEWS - The National Marine Week (NMW) is a Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries led awareness campaign that takes place annually during the second week of October.
The awareness programme is intended to highlight the importance of the marine environment and the role it plays in the daily lives of all South Africans, whether living inland or at the coast.
It is thus important that all South Africans be aware that all rely on healthy oceans with a rich diversity of life to provide rainfall and many other essentials required to survive, such as food and oxygen.
Oceans through storms and flooding, present a risk that cannot be prevented but can be managed through better planning. Oceans provide endless opportunities for recreation to be enjoyed by all.
Through celebrations and observation, National Marine Week recognises the important role that the oceans surrounding South Africa play in giving life to the country.
The campaign therefore seeks to foster a sense of pride in each South African for the beautiful oceans and coasts, celebrating the unique environment and the one-of-a-kind events that occur off the coasts.
Understanding the marine environment and its impact on our country
South Africa enjoys the benefit of a relatively large ocean environment next to its land territory. Technology advancements over the last century have made the ocean much more accessible to people.
Annually through the polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II, DEFF undertakes several voyages to the Antarctica and islands in the Southern Oceans. That forms part of efforts to understand the marine environment and its impact on the country.
However, while about 70 percent of earth’s surface is covered by the ocean, knowledge of what goes on in the oceans around is still relatively limited.
There are mysterious and peculiar creatures and habitats at the oceans depths that must still be discovered and understood. By understanding how these creatures live we can progress in many areas of technology and science.
Understanding the oceans also has another important benefit to countries – monitoring the ocean and the atmosphere at the appropriate scales, improves the ability to understand the extent of extreme weather and climate events.
The country may not be able to stop extreme storms, waves and tsunamis but through understanding the likelihood of where and how they occur, there is better preparation to decrease the damage to property and threat to human life. South Africa’s unique oceans and coasts must be appreciated as an area of global heritage and as a source of national pride and advantage.
The planet’s environment, climate and weather are changing at a faster pace because of how people live. The oceans play an important role in both contributing to the changes in the environment and in also being impacted by these changes.
For example, with the oceans taking up so much of the earth’s surface, it must be a big player in regulating the temperature around the whole earth. Understanding that fact is necessary on how the earth works.
The outreach and awareness campaign aims to:
- Raise awareness for conservation of the ocean and coastal ecosystems within a changing climate,
- Educate the general public, but particularly the youth, about relevant issues related to the ocean economy and other benefits and
- Encourage broader participation in marine-related professions needed by the country. It seeks to promote the appreciation of the role of the oceans, and the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) support for ocean and coasts management.
The target audience for National Marine Week is high school students, coastal communities, marine sector industries, stakeholders, environmentalists, media, and the country at large.
