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The Simon’s Town African penguin population is currently enjoying a moment in the limelight, following the success of Netflix’s Penguin Town.

There’s nothing quite like your own show on a global streaming giant to help raise your profile, and it’s very much a fun, light-hearted look at some colourful penguin characters.

Dig a little deeper, though, and it becomes clear that the African penguin is in crisis.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) has outlined some of the key factors to consider:

• They were first classified by the IUCN as Endangered in 2010 and their population continues to decline.
• In 2019, a population assessment was conducted to evaluate their conservation status and assess whether the species met the threshold for Endangered. This assessment confirmed it had, with the global population declining by nearly 65% since 1989.
• Based on rates of population decline at the time, it was predicted that the population along the West Coast of South Africa could be functionally extinct by 2035 should no further actions be implemented.
• Essentially, the African penguin has lost nearly 97% of its original population. Put another way, it is at less than 3% of its historical levels in the wild.

There are a number of factors that have contributed to this drastic decline, such as poor breeding habitat, extreme climatic events, oiling, disease, poor food availability, and human disturbance.

African penguins are vitally important to the ecosystem, transferring large amounts of nutrients from the ocean to their colonies, which influences the functioning of the surrounding ecosystem and adjacent marine areas.

Their guano (yes, turd) also promotes algal growth, as well as the growth of other species which support shorebirds and marine invertebrates.

You only need to look at the throngs of tourists (before COVID-19) descending on Boulders Beach to realise their economic importance, with the total expenditure associated with the Simon’s Town colony alone estimated at approximately R311 million a year.

In order to try and turn the tide, SANCCOB has partnered with WWF South Africa and Sea Change Project to launch the #SaveTheAfricanPenguin campaign.

With today being World Conservation Day, a discussion panel facilitated by Oscar-winner Pippa Ehrlich (you’ve heard of My Octopus Teacher) has unpacked the penguin’s plight and outlined ways in which we can all help.

Here’s a little sneak peek at that discussion:

You can watch that full panel discussion here.

In a nutshell, here’s a list of ways you can help.

With your time

• Participate in beach clean-ups
• Recycle at home
• Identify reputable conservation organisations and keep up to date with the information they share

With your decisions

• Eat right – look at the WWF SASSI list
• Shop better – reduce single-use plastic use
• Reduce your carbon footprint (walk or cycle where possible)

With your voice

• Ask your policymakers key questions and hold them to account
• Engage in the conversation and share #SaveTheAfricanPenguin updates on your social media platforms

With your money

• Identify reputable organisations involved in penguin conservation and support them through donations

SANCCOB certainly qualifies as a reputable organisation, and you can find donation details here.

The African penguin is our continent’s only endemic penguin species, so let’s not bugger this up.

[source:sanccob]