Marine Environment

Corals are colonial, reef-building animals that are renowned for their beauty, productivity and biodiversity. This section provides an overview of the KZN coral reefs and their sensitivity to disturbance and perturbation, most notably climate change and pollution. The drivers of change and resultant pressures and described, and the historic and current states of coral reefs in the province are detailed. The section then considers the impacts of this and identifies possible management responses / actions for KZN.

This section provides an overview of rocky reefs. They are found in patches along the entire coast of KZN extending from the intertidal region to greater depth, in places even to the edge of the continental shelf. Habitat destruction and reef degradation are the main drivers of change, exacerbated by pressures of exploitation and pollution. The section details the state and impacts on rocky reefs, and identifies possible management responses / actions for the province.

Soft sediment environments are abiotic substrates of terrigenous origin. Covering more than 70% of the seafloor, they create the largest of marine habitats and are significant contributors to marine ecosystem function. This section provides an overview of KZN marine soft sediments, and the global changes that drive local change in this ecosystem. The pressures on soft sediments and their species are from human related activities. The section then considers both the historic and current state of these sediments and the impacts they are exposed to. It further identifies possible management responses / actions for KZN.

The pelagic environment is considered here as the sea’s water column which extends from the surface to just above the seabed. This section provides an overview of the pelagic environment of KZN and the drivers of change which are closely linked to changes in the Agulhas Current. It identifies several pressures and impacts while outlining the historic and current states of the ecosystem. Lastly it provides management responses / actions for the province.