The Stilbaai marine zone on the southern Cape coastline will be declared a protected area this week, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said.

Van Schalkwyk on Monday hailed the decision to declare the area a Marine Protected Area (MPA) as a significant step towards protecting the country's marine life.

"It will provide protection to a variety of marine and estuarine habitats, which in turn will assist in the recovery of populations of depleted fish and other endemic species," he said.

The declaration of a restricted zone would also allow specific protected terrestrial and marine areas to join, thereby shielding the natural coastline more fully.

It would become the 20th MPA along South Africa's coastline. The decision followed discussions with local residents and other interested parties for more than two years.

A diverse area

According to Van Schalkwyk, the new Stilbaai MPA encompasses a variety of marine habitats. These include a large sandy bay to the east, smaller rocky bays to the west and the mouth of the Goukou river in the centre of the area.

"It is significant that the entire Goukou estuary lies within the MPA, as this will help provide urgent protection for the estuary," he said.

The coastline also contains well-preserved stone fish traps (visvywers), which are considered to be living evidence of how the original coastal inhabitants fished in the area.

"The town of Stilbaai and its people still depend on having access to the sea and estuary and there is a proclaimed harbour utilised by both commercial and recreational fishers and recreational boaters," Van Schalkwyk said.

"The comments and concerns raised during this process have been taken into account, resulting in strict zoning of the area," the minister added.