Spreading the word of coastal conservation to all

The Sustainable Seas Trust along with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) are currently on the SAMSA SEA Pledge Saldanha to Sodwana Tour. For four weeks the team will be touring South Africa’s coastline and spreading the word of coastal conservation to everyone from young school children to the various mayors and dignitaries along the way.

On Saturday, the 04 May in East London and on Sunday, the 05 May in Durban  a South African conservation champion and celebrity marine biologist, Dr Eleanor Yeld Hutchings, will be presenting an enlightening talk on South Africa’s coastline.

The East London talk on the 04 May will take place at 19h00 in the evening at the Hemingways Mall Conference Centre, East London.

The Durban talk on the 05 May will take place at 15h00 in the afternoon in partnership with the South African Association for Marine Biological Research at the Len Baumann Conference Hall, in the Education Centre at UShaka Marine World, 1 King Shaka Avenue in Durban.

The original information for the (public) open talk advertised SST patron and internationally renowned oceanographer, Dr Sylvia Earle, as the guest for the evening. Sadly, an arrangement with National Geographic has kept Earle in the United States, but along with this unfortunate news comes the exciting announcement that in her place will be Yeld Hutchings.

Yeld Hutchings is the face of the SABC 3 popular series, Shoreline, is a WWF-SA team member and is the drive behind a number of exciting coastal appreciation projects. After travelling from our border with Namibia, on the west coast of South Africa, all the way around the coast to the border with Moçambique on our east coast, twice, Yeld Hutchings has exceptional tales to share about the wonders of our vast coastline.

“To get people to really want to look after our oceans, and to feel a vested interest in conserving them, we need to ignite a passion for the environment… and what better way to do that than through sharing the stories that exist all along our coast?” said Yeld Hutchings.

Such a high profile guest adds to an already impressive list of environmental champions that have supported SST and SAMSA on their tour. This includes personalities like South African freediving champion, Hanli Prinsloo, internationally renowned under water photographer, Fiona Ayerst and 2011 OutThere Adventurer of the Year, Peter van Kets.