Minister Dion George on penguin protection settlement

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) proudly welcomes the finalisation of a historic settlement agreement as a court order today, securing critical protections for South Africa’s penguin populations. This landmark agreement, reached between the fishing industry and conservation organisations BirdLife South Africa and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), establishes island closures to safeguard the critically endangered African Penguin while supporting sustainable fishing practices.

Under the steadfast leadership of the Minister, Dr Dion George, the DFFE has championed collaboration between stakeholders to address the decline of penguin populations. Following his appointment, Dr George directed his legal team to prioritise a resolution and initiated meetings with all parties, first without legal representatives, and later with them, to forge a path toward consensus. His vision led to the creation of a working group tasked with designing science-based island closures, a process that has now culminated in this court-ordered settlement.

The finalised island closures, effective as of today’s court order, include:

• Dassen Island: Interim closure as per current permit conditions.
• Robben Island: A 20 km closure, consistent with the Island Closure Experiment.
• Stony Point: Closure as depicted by the black hatched line in the agreed diagram, applicable to all fishing vessels.
• Dyer Island: Interim closure as reflected in current permit conditions.
• St Croix Island: Closure delineated by coordinates (western boundary: 25°45'E; southern boundary: 34°01' to 25°50'E; southern boundary east: 33°59' to 25°59'E; eastern boundary to MPA: 25°59'E).
• Bird Island: A 20 km closure radius from the lighthouse, as implemented during the Island Closure Experiment.

Dr George praised the court order as a monumental achievement: “Today marks a triumph for conservation and sustainable development. This court-ordered settlement realises the DFFE’s long-standing commitment to protecting our penguins and biodiversity while ensuring the fishing industry’s viability. I am immensely proud of the collaborative spirit that has brought us here, a model for how industry and conservation can work hand in hand for the greater good.”

The DFFE is committed to overseeing the effective implementation of these closures and will collaborate with stakeholders to monitor their impact on penguin populations. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the fishing industry, BirdLife South Africa, SANCCOB, and all involved parties for their dedication to this process.

With this court order, South Africa sets a global standard for environmental stewardship, proving that unity and science-based solutions can secure a thriving future for both nature and livelihoods.

For enquiries:
Thobile Zulu-Molobi
Cell: +27 82 513 7154
Email: tmolobi@dffe.gov.za

Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: +27 82 611 8197
Email: pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za

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