WESSA Annual Review: 2022-2023

Green Coast endeavours to create a platform by enhancing access, fostering awareness, and nurturing pride in our nation’s cherished coastal areas. The responsibility for managing these sites extends beyond local government to encompass every citizen who depends on this invaluable resource.

The WESSA Green Coast Programme is an ongoing award programme that provides a framework for collaborative governance and civil-society participation in Integrated Coastal Management. Success ful coastal sites achieve Green Coast status by meeting a set of criteria designed to ensure the continual maintenance and improvement of environmental, developmental, and participatory standards. The Green Coast Programme encourages effective management of rural or less developed sensitive coastal environments, emphasising voluntary compliance, citizen action, citizen science, environmental education, and sustainable tourism promotion. The Green Coast programme strongly aligns with the WESSA vision and mission, incentivising, organising, and recognising local efforts towards education, action, and advocacy for meaningful and

long-term coastal conservation outcomes. A highlight of this year was the Green Coast Awards event, combined with the annual Blue Flag launch, which took place in Plettenberg Bay in November 2022. This year, Green Coast status was re-awarded to three Wild Coast sites and one Western Cape site. The four sites are Blaauwberg, Chintsa, Morgan Bay, and Kei Mouth.

The event generated significant interest in the Green Coast Programme, leading to four new Garden Route sites submitting Green Coast applications for the new season. We are thrilled to welcome Natures Valley and Gwaing Beach as aspiring Green Coast sites. The successful sites will be announced at the Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards Event in Wilderness on the 20th of October 2023.

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