14 Jul 2022

The 14th of July is marked for Shark Awareness. Africa is famed for its distinctive wildlife and the famous Big Five game, but have you encountered Africa’s Marine Big 5 yet? The Great white shark being one of them.

Gansbaai in South Africa is perhaps one of the few spots on the planet where the ocean's giants inspire the same wonder and amazement as the African savannah’s big game. The phrase "Marine Big 5" was coined in Gansbaai to describe the abundant populations of whales, dolphins, penguins, seals, and great white sharks that thrive along this coastline at Africa's southernmost tip. Today, Gansbaai is home to exciting shark cage diving and whale watching businesses. These companies not only offer adventure tourism, they are also active in marine research initiatives to help protect the Marine Big Five.

The African Union’s Blue Economy Strategy highlights coastal and maritime tourism as one of the “main driving sectors of the blue economy… both in term of value added and jobs created.” The Strategy explains that “In 2018 the sector contributed USD80 billion, about 3.4% of the GDP... and has potential for expansion and growth as most areas are yet to be exploited.” Further, “the contribution to employment in 2018 was estimated at 24 million jobs in Africa at annual growth rate of 5.6%.” Marine Big 5 tourism in places like Gansbaai are part of this growth and, as the Strategy observes, “the development of eco-tourism will contribute to the conservation of ecosystems and reduce the ecological footprint.” This is the marine component of what we more broadly call the wildlife economy.

In South Africa tourism also recognised as one of country’s most important economic sectors. This includes a growing interest in the country’s 3,000 kilometre coastline as a tourist attraction. South Africa is focusing on its Oceans Economy as one of the primary drivers in the country's strategy to expand the economy, generate employment, restructure the economy, and attract investment. This includes the tourism opportunities offered in Gansbaai such as shark cage diving. A recent study found that shark cage diving “draws a large number of visitors globally, thereby providing benefits to visiting tourists and socio-economic benefits to the area.” Great white sharks may frighten many people, but they are also contributing to sustainable economic development in Africa.

Happy World Shark Awareness Day!

 

Savanna Strauss, AWEI Intern

 

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