The imminent enforcement of a permit system for scuba divers who frequent the world-renowned waters of four of South Africa’s 19 marine protected areas has caused a furore in the scuba-diving community, which has likened the permit requirement to a taxation system.
The diving community is up in arms, claiming lack of consultation: ‘We feel that our contribution and concerns were ignored during the time when public comment was invited,†says Mike Beresford, of Underwater Africa.
‘Our main concern regarding this matter focuses on — the fact that the department has not shared with us any of their studies that support that scuba diving disturbs the natural habitat. We feel that the minister has exceeded his power by implementing this regulation,†added Beresford. ‘Divers and operators are also concerned about the fees and how they will be implemented.â€
The introduction of the permit system follows the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s announcement in 2004 that the government would start to take increased action to protect South Africa’s marine protected areas.
For the past two years the department has continued to give divers and operators some leeway. However, from now on, recreational scuba divers will need a permit to enter Table Mountain National Park, Bird Island, Pondoland and Aliwal Shoal, South Africa’s four most popular areas for scuba-diving.
Divers are required to pay an annual fee of R75 and visitors or tourists have the option of buying a monthly permit for R45. Fears that scuba operators would have to pay double have been temporarily allayed as scuba-diving operators are exempt until the end of the year or until a proper operator permit system has been established.
The department’s objective in imposing the permits is to raise awareness about the fragility of the marine areas, says Dr Alan Boyd, deputy director responsible for marine protected areas. The revenue from the permits will be used for management of the areas.
‘We didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew by implementing everything all at once and we are currently trying to come up with a less expensive operator permit from the R10 000 that was initially suggested because we realise that it was too expensive,†says Boyd.
Boyd is quick to clarify that the Marine Living Resources Act allows the department to prohibit or manage any activity that may adversely affect the environment in the marine protected areas. ‘So we are well within our power to apply precautionary action,†adds Boyd.
The department is adamant that they held numerous meetings, some lasting well over six hours, with the concerned group. ‘We have tried to approach the matter in a reasonable way and a lot of divers have supported us and, with time, we hope that the rest will follow suit. The scuba divers are not ‘targeted’ because other non-consumptive activities, such as whale watching, are regulated by permits.â€