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27 March 2024

Renewed commitment to coastal management at South Africa’s second national Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) Lekgotla

South Africa’s Integrated Coastal Management Lekgotla convened experts and stakeholders from government, academia and diverse institutions to exchange experiences and insights on integrated coastal management challenges. This pioneering platform, the first of its kind, benefits both South Africa and the African continent.

The second Lekgotla, held in February 2023, followed the successful 2019 event and focused on “Coastal Planning and Climate Change for South Africa’s Future.” With increasing developmental and climate change pressures along the coast, presentations focused on current realities and future strategies. Topics included the roles of authorising agencies, local government perspectives, support structures, tools for different government levels, and fostering an enabling research and implementation environment for coastal management and climate change initiatives.

The hybrid event featured in-person and online sessions, enabling broader stakeholder engagement around a wide array of themes and topics. Active discussions emphasised knowledge sharing and resulted in a renewed commitment to collaborate, particularly between government and academia, for more effective coastal management research.

This article was written by Clement Arendse and Ryan Peter and originally published in the 2022/2023 Research Report.