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 Cambridge,
1 September 2008 –
One of the most important wetlands for waders in South Africa,
the Langebaan lagoon is threatened by the planned expansion
of an already existing iron ore terminal.
Langebaan Lagoon is a Ramsar
site and part of the West Coast National Park and Saldanha
Bay islands Important Bird Area (IBA) regular accounts for
around 10% of South Africa’s coastal wader number.
The lagoon can support more than 37,500 waterbirds in summer,
of which 34,500 are waders, 93% of which are Palearctic
migrants. In winter, the lagoon regularly supports more
than 10,500 birds, of which 4,500 are Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus
roseus) and 4,000 waders.
The lagoon is also an important
habitat for a great number of waterbirds that are protected
under AEWA, such as the Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola),
the Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) or the
Red Knot (Calidris canutus).
BirdLife International is warning that
this important wetland is now threatened by the planned
expansion of the already existing iron ore terminal. Evidence
of the long-term negative impacts of the original port development
in the early 1970s is visible on the eastern shores of the
lagoon at the Langebaan village, were the beaches have practically
disappeared due to the tidal action that was created by
the causeway and jetty when the iron ore terminal was constructed.
Conservation organisations fear that the area will also
suffer by sewerage pollution, urban development and tourism
infrastructure development and may lose its conservation
status as important site for South Africa’s breeding
coastal birds.
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