Under threat: Safeguarding Papiesfontein’s ecosystem would complete a broader conservation vision for the Kouga region. Photo: Kirsty Teichert
Six months ago, a quiet but significant milestone was reached along the Eastern Cape coastline. The Kabeljous Nature Reserve, situated just outside Jeffreys Bay, was finally declared after a 33-year wait.
It marked an important victory for the critical biodiversity area and demonstrated something increasingly rare in South Africa’s environmental governance: that persistence can translate into protection.
But the declaration also arrives at a moment when the country faces a far broader test — meeting its binding international commitment under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to conserve at least 30% of its land, freshwater and ocean ecosystems by 2030.
Against that national backdrop, the question is whether Kabeljous is the start of a wider shift in safeguarding South Africa’s most threatened ecosystems.
Neighbouring the area is a 528 hectare tract of state-owned land called Papiesfontein, which has, for just as long, been recognised as environmentally sensitive, of heritage significance and unsuitable for development. It contains some of the last intact and relatively well-connected remnants of an endangered fynbos ecosystem known as Humansdorp Shale Renosterveld.
Decades of extensive habitat loss and fragmentation, combined with the fact that very little of the remaining area is under formal conservation, have placed this ecosystem at risk of ecological collapse.
In practical terms, this means that even if South Africa expands conservation elsewhere, it cannot meet its “30 by 30” target for this ecosystem without securing areas like Papiesfontein.
The site is also home to many threatened flora and fauna species, including the black harrier, which depend on undisturbed habitat for breeding.
The loss of even small areas can have disproportionate effects on the endemic raptor population. The ecological characteristics are not abstract; they underpin a functioning landscape that supports biodiversity corridors, protects ecological integrity and contributes to the resilience of the broader coastal ecosystem. Once disrupted, the systems are difficult and often impossible to restore in full.
For decades, the conclusion across provincial authorities, conservation bodies and government departments has been consistent: the Papiesfontein land should also be protected.
Yet it remains without formal protection, resulting in direct ecological loss each year.
Since 2022, unlawful occupation on the land has resulted in the clearing of endangered vegetation, the development of unauthorised infrastructure and ongoing environmental degradation.
The issue here is not just a failure of enforcement but the timing of enforcement. This is because once critical habitat is lost or fragmented, it is seldom recoverable within meaningful ecological timeframes.
South Africa’s environmental framework is, on paper, robust. But conservation is ultimately a race against habitat loss.
When decisions that have been made repeatedly over decades are not implemented, ecosystems pay the price. Papiesfontein is a case study in that gap between intention and action and in how quickly ecological thresholds can be crossed.
Yet there is reason for cautious optimism. The declaration of Kabeljous in October 2025 created more than a protected area. It established a legal and institutional precedent for the protection of the surrounding landscape.
This moment calls for leadership at a national and provincial level.
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willie Aucamp and Eastern Cape MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Nonkqubela Ntomboxolo Pieters have the power to ensure that the protection of Papiesfontein is prioritised and progressed without further delay. This would build on the precedent set by the Kabeljous Nature Reserve and align with South Africa’s broader environmental commitments.
The pieces are in place. What remains is coordination and the political will to follow through on the decisions taken.
Over the past few years, stakeholders under the banner of the Greater Kabeljous Partnership have continued to engage both national and provincial leadership on the issue, grounded in a shared recognition that South Africa’s biodiversity is not a luxury but a national asset.
This has included direct engagements with policymakers, including the portfolio committee on forestry, fisheries and the environment in parliament and writing to both Aucamp and Pieters. Together, these actions have sought to maintain momentum, ensure accountability and keep the protection of Papiesfontein firmly on the policy agenda.
The experience of Kabeljous reinforces a simple point: progress does not happen automatically but it is possible. When sustained engagement, public visibility and political will align, long-standing policy positions can move from paper to practice.
The same conditions are now needed for Papiesfontein.
But it also raises a simple question: If Kabeljous could be declared, why not Papiesfontein?
Six months on, the task is not to celebrate a single success but to follow it through.
The case for protecting Papiesfontein is not new nor is it contested. The ecological value is clear, the policy position is established and the precedent has been set. What remains is implementation.
Protecting Papiesfontein would secure a vulnerable ecosystem, safeguard cultural heritage and complete a broader conservation vision for the Kouga region. More than that, it would demonstrate that environmental decisions in South Africa do not stall indefinitely between agreement and action.
At a time when the country has committed to conserving 30% of its land, freshwater and ocean ecosystems by 2030, places like Papiesfontein are not optional extras: they are essential to meeting that goal.
Kabeljous showed that progress is possible. The question now is whether political leaders will ensure that progress continues and that South Africa’s biodiversity commitments are met in practice, not just on paper.
Dr Wentzel Coetzer is a registered professional natural scientist (Pr.Sci.Nat) with a doctorate in nature conservation from Nelson Mandela University. He is a member of the Greater Kabeljous Partnership.