ROCHER PAN MPA
"west coast bliss"
Velddrif, Western Cape
The long and sandy beaches provide ideal habitat for surfzone fishes.
This 1.5 km2 MPA was proclaimed in 1988 and protects 3km of shoreline and nearshore habitats. The beaches and nearshore exposed and sandy shores are home to fish such as galjoen, silver kob and lesser guitarfish. The adjacent Nature Reserve is an important wetland site for water birds and one of few major pans on the West Coast that offers protection and access to marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats. The Nature Reserve is one of only two locations where the critically endangered aquatic plant Pseudalthenia aschersoniana has survived.
BENEFITS
Safeguards sandy shore and nearshore habitat
protects surf zone fish
protects coastal seabirds
