Protect The West Coast
In March 2020 the South African government issued a grant to expand the Tormin mine activity on the wild shores of the West Coast. The grant approved by the Environment, Forestry & Fisheries Ministry allows the Australian mining giant, Mineral Sands Resources (MSR), to dig and extract minerals from an additional 10 beaches, stretching about 50 miles north of the Oliphant River estuary, regardless of the devastating environmental impact to the region's indigenous biodiversity and world-class waves.
The West Coast is home to thousands of species of unique plants, most of which are found nowhere else in the world. These interconnected ecosystems are a haven for marine life such as whales, dolphins, seals, fish, birds, land mammals, reptiles and unique insects.
“Stand with us to Protect the West Coast!”
Photography // Protect The West Coast
The Risks
Disturbance and destruction of marine life
The destabilisation of fishing communities
Impacts on already scarce water resources
Air pollution from mining activities
Increased roads and traffic footprint
Visual impacts on local population and tourism
Loss of access to beaches and coastline for recreational activities such as surfing
Damage to the fragile dune system, which has evolved over millions of years as part of the natural interface between land and sea
Alteration of the natural beach profile, and its dynamic equilibrium with the wave energy
Knock-on impacts on land-based ecosystems
Loss of archaeological resources and fossils
Loss of indigenous heritage sites
Photography // Allan Horton
“It’s a tough fight, but for the sake of the ecosystem, the people living around there and our beloved waves, it has to be done!”
- Iain Campbell, world champion bodyboarder
Iain Campbell got his first taste of the Western coastline during a trip with Mark McCarthy and Jared Houston in 2009. "I got asked to go on a trip with some of the guys that originally started looking into that area," he says. "Cobus Bosman and Beyers van der Merwe found those waves years before any of the guys were even looking up there, naming spots and getting to know all the conditions. That trip made me notice the beauty and remoteness of the area."
Photography // Allan Horton
Photography // Allan Horton
HOW YOU CAN HELP
“Volunteer, donate, get social or sign the petition. We are looking for all the help we can get. So please, assist us in protecting this magical stretch of coastline that thousands of plants, animals and people call home.”
- Protect The West Coast
Photography // Allan Horton
