State of the ocean and coasts around South Africa 2016 report card

Please note that the contact information included in the report is superseded by the contact information that can be found in the Responsible Parties field of this metadata record. This report is compiled primarily by staff within the Chief Directorate: Oceans and Coasts Research that resides within the Branch: Oceans and Coasts. Contributors from outside the Department are acknowledged. The Branch maintains and seeks to grow human capacity and infrastructure in all aspects of marine sciences towards improving understanding and management of marine ecosystems. In this report, DEA provides updated information on the status of some parameters for South Africa’s oceans and coasts, ranging from chemical and physical properties to biological assessments. These have been selected as potentially-useful indicators of the change, health and management of South Africa’s marine ecosystems. The format of this report card is aimed at providing a brief overview of the research and monitoring undertaken within the Department, with articles generally not exceeding a page. This format does not allow for an in-depth description or discussion. Readers are welcome to contact contributing authors within the Chief Directorate for more information on the various research aspects covered. The Department wishes to express its appreciation to the many collaborating agencies that have contributed to the work presented in this compilation.