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BLUE
FLAG CAMPAIGN
 SOUTH
AFRICA FLIES THE BLUE FLAG!
A Blue Flag is an international annual award given to beaches that meet EXCELLENCE
in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards.
As South Africa enters its seventh season of Blue Flag, the country can proudly
say that its beaches are sustaining excellence in beach management and rate
among the top beaches in the world.
South Africa is the first country outside Europe to win Blue Flag accreditation
for its beaches.
For the 2007/8 season, 22 beaches were awarded Blue Flag
status.
Since the start of the season, 5 beaches in Durban have had Blue Flag accreditation
withdrawn. This has been as a result of non-compliance with imperative Blue
Flag requirements relating to water quality and to cleanliness on the beaches.
Current Blue Flag beaches in South Africa
:- Umhlanga Rocks Main beach, Hibberdene beach (KwaZulu-Natal
south coast), Margate beach (south coast), Ramsgate beach (KwaZulu-Natal south
coast), Marina/San Lameer beach (also south coast), Kelly's beach (Port Alfred),
Well's Estate (Port Elizabeth), Humewood beach (Port Elizabeth), King's beach
(Port Elizabeth), Dolphin beach (Jeffrey's Bay), Lappiesbaai beach (Stilbaai),
Kleinmond beach and Hawston beach, both near Hermanus, Grotto beach (Hermanus),
and in Cape Town: Clifton 4th beach, Mnandi (Strandfontein) and Bikini beach
(Gordon's Bay).
(click
here for MAP)
As South Africa enters its seventh season of Blue Flag, we can
proudly say that our beaches are achieving excellence in beach
management and rate among the top beaches in the world.
The Blue Flag campaign is proving highly successful and there
has been a significant increase in response from local authorities
wishing to implement the campaign. The number of beaches entering
the campaign as pilot is indicative of the growing interest in
Blue Flag in this country.
For 2007/8 season, the pilot Blue Flag beaches that
are working towards full Blue Flag accreditation are:-
Umdloti beach (Durban), Amanzimtoti beach (south of Durban),
Hobie and Pollock beaches (Port Elizabeth), Pellsrus beach (Jeffrey's
Bay), Pumula and Trafalgar beaches (south coast KwaZulu-Natal),
Kariega Main beach, near Port Alfred; Robberg beach, Plettenberg
Bay and Alkantstrand, Richards Bay, Anstey's beach (Durban),
South beach (Durban), Lucien beach (KwaZulu-Natal south coast),
Gonubie beach (East London), MacDougall's Bay at Port Nolloth,
Yzerfontein main beach, west coast, Strandfontein beach (Cape
Town), Camps Bay , Muizenberg beach, Big Bay beach and Fish Hoek
beach, Cape Town .
How
is the Blue Flag awarded?
The Blue Flag is awarded to beaches that comply with the Blue
Flag criteria and there are fourteen criteria. The Blue Flag criteria cover
four aspects of coastal management:
- water quality
- environmental education & information
- environmental management
- safety and services.
In South Africa the Blue
Flag season runs for a full year from 1/11 to 31/10 the next year for beaches
from East London northwards. For other beaches, the season runs from 1/11
to 30/4 the next year.
What does Blue
Flag do for YOU?
The Blue Flag assures you that the beaches are clean, safe and environmentally
friendly. The award also helps to educate the community about the need to
care for our coastline. Blue Flag promotes one of South Africa's national
treasures, our magnificent coast.
Blue Flag is managed
by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) in partnership
with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and participating
coastal authorities under the Coastcare initiative of DEAT. Coastcare is
the initiative which implements the South African Government's White Paper
for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa. The
Blue Flag campaign is one of several programmes run under the Coastcare
project.
For
further details contact:
National Blue Flag Coordinator
Alison Kelly
Tel: (033) 3303931 ext 116
PO Box 394, Howick 3290
Email alisonk@wessa.co.za
... more on the Blue Flag Campaign at www.blueflag.org
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