MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Dana Bay Conservancy recently installed new educational boards about the nesting areas of coastal birds such as the African black oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) at First Beach, Second Beach and the Moquini Coastal Estate boardwalk at the Blinde River.
The conservancy's chairperson, Erika van der Westhuizen, said the boards were erected with approval from the Mossel Bay Municipality.
Eric Potgieter, a conservancy member, had raised the funds to order the boards, and the Moquini Estate sponsored the poles and helped with the installation.
"Dreams come true by collaboration between entities and organisations," said Van der Westhuizen.
"Conservation is a team effort by like-minded citizens whose passion is to protect and conserve."
She said Nature's Valley Trust in Plettenberg Bay started with the idea, and the board's design was done in collaboration with BirdLife South Africa.
The board at First Beach in Dana Bay. Photo: Supplied
The plan is to install these boards, with the same design, along the Garden Route coastline. The boards' purpose is to create awareness about the plight of the coastal birds in the district.
Van der Westhuizen said after CapeNature had gathered some feedback from citizen scientists along the coastline, it was estimated that in 2025, there was a decline in the breeding and number of chicks of oystercatchers.
She said this could be due to dogs being on the beaches without leashes, human interference, the extreme summer heat and heavy storms in the area.
"Thank you again to everyone who worked together on the initiative. We are proud to have these beautiful boards as educational pieces at our beaches. Now no one can say they didn't know," she said.
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