False Bay Hope Spot Welcomes New Co-Champions, Two Oceans Aquarium

February 8, 2024

Image: © Craig Foster / Sea Change Project

FALSE BAY, SOUTH AFRICA –

Mission Blue welcomes Two Oceans Aquarium as the new Co-Champion of the False Bay Hope Spot in False Bay, South Africa. The Aquarium brings more than 20 years of experience and strong relationships with the local community, with their popular Marine Protected Areas Day (MPA Day), beach cleanups, Dalebrook Rocky Shore exploration days and more. 

Helen Lockhart, Conservation and Sustainability Manager, says, “The Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation are excited to be a Co-Champion for the False Bay Hope Spot.” She continues, “Mission Blue’s Hope Spots are perfectly aligned with the mission of the Aquarium and the Foundation – to inspire people to act for the ocean, so that all may share in an abundant and healthy ocean for life.” Lockhart develops and implements the Aquarium’s sustainability strategy to minimize its ecological footprint and raises both internal and public awareness around sustainability through communication platforms, exhibits, and environmental campaigns. 

 

 

MPA Day is particularly important to the Aquarium as it promotes safeguarding and expanding the Table National Park MPA. They hope that MPA Day can expand to become a globally celebrated campaign. Other notable programs include its acoustic telemetry tagging of sharks and rays, turtle rescue and rehabilitation and sunfish observations and genetic analysis, the only project of its kind in Africa.

Looking to the horizon, Two Oceans Aquarium is seeking to broaden and strengthen its ocean-minded community around Cape Town that will continue to protect the False Bay Hope Spot. They currently work closely with local stakeholders including Shark Spotters, Save Our Seas Shark Education Centre, I Am Water, The Beach Co-op, Seachange Project, among others. 

Lockhart concludes, “This Hope Spot is a wonderful opportunity to unite all the many organizations working in the False Bay marine environment. Each organization is doing amazing work in research, outreach, community engagement, storytelling, education, protection, and tourism – imagine how much more we could achieve if we all worked together?”