Eco Explorer

Plett really brought the heat today. 🔥☀️

The kind of day where the pool starts looking less like a luxury and more like essential infrastructure.

But after a scorcher like that, it’s worth thinking a little ahead. Summer is almost here, water is precious, and fire season is upon us.

💧 Let’s go a little easier on the water
Don’t be fooled by the rainfall we’ve had, the heat will quickly undo that. Just a few small things we can all do:

• Shorter showers — nobody needs a 20-minute Ed Sheeran concert
• Water only plants that need it and early or later in the day
• Fix those sneaky dripping taps
• Reuse water where you can
• Skip washing the car unless it genuinely needs it - this is Plett after all, nobody is judging
• And maybe let the lawn embrace its summer personality

🔥 And while we’re thinking ahead… fire season

Now is a good time to get your place ready:

• Clear away dry vegetation around your home
• Keep gutters and areas around buildings free of dry leaves and debris
• Take extra care with braais, fires and anything that could create a spark
• Save the local emergency numbers, and if you spot smoke or a fire, report it immediately 044 805 5071 or via WhatsApp at 081 709 5193

Plett is pretty special. We get to live surrounded by fynbos, forest, beaches and green spaces — and that means we all have a small part to play in looking after it.

As devastating and frustrating as it is, the long recovery process after the storm damage to the dunes is not unique to Plett.
All over the country and world, people have had to take time to properly assess and propose a way forward - rushing decisions is risky for our safety, environmental impacts and financial protection.
Let’s do our bit by having patience and staying off our already fragile dunes.

The May floods changed Plett’s coastline dramatically.

Boardwalks and staircases were washed away, huge sections of beach disappeared, and in places there’s now a steep drop from the dunes to the sand.

So we understand why people are trying to find their own way down.

But right now, those dunes are unstable and vulnerable.

Dunes are our coastline’s natural buffer. They hold sand, absorb the energy of waves and storms, and help protect what lies behind them (us). Their vegetation is part of what holds the sand together.

And once that vegetation and dune structure is damaged, recovery isn’t quick.
Depending on the type and extent of disturbance, sandy beach and dune habitats can take *5–10 years to recover*, with some damaged vegetation taking even longer.

That’s why creating new paths, digging into the dunes or putting up makeshift stairs and structures can have consequences that aren’t immediately obvious. What looks like a small shortcut today can become an erosion point that takes years to recover.

There’s work happening to assess and repair the damaged access points. Those recovery projects need to take into account the new shape of the coastline, the current and future stability of the dunes, and the environmental impact of where and how access is restored.

In the meantime, please use the access points that are still safe and open - Robberg 1 is currently the safest access point that causes the least interference as you completely bypass our sensitive dune systems.

And most importantly, please don’t create your own route down the dunes 🙏

We know everyone is frustrated. We miss our beaches too.

But if we want Plett’s coastline to recover properly, we need to give nature space and time.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at what happened to our beaches, why the dunes matter, what recovery actually involves, what is being done about restoring access points - and how all of us can be part of getting Plett’s beaches back.

🐬 Plett Stranding Network responds to a Common Dolphin stranding

Yesterday, the Plett Stranding Network was activated to assist with the necropsy of a freshly stranded young adult female Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis).

Led by experienced cetacean biologist and local, Dr Gwen Penry, the necropsy provided an important opportunity to learn more about this individual and the potential causes of her death. She had a very thin blubber layer, suggesting poor nutritional condition. An old, semi-circular healed wound was also noted, while foam in the trachea suggested she may have taken on some water during the stranding.

Perhaps most unexpectedly, a fetus was found inside her. Based on the size of her teeth, Gwen believes this may have been her first pregnancy. Pregnancy-related complications are one possible explanation for her death, but the exact cause cannot be confirmed.

Measurements, photographs, and biological samples were collected, including tissue from the lungs, liver, kidneys, muscle, and blubber, as well as stomach contents, skull, and rib samples. These will support further research, including genetic and toxicological analyses, helping us better understand the health and ecology of dolphins along our coastline. The samples have been sent to Bayworld in Gqeberha, where they will be curated by Dr Greg Hofmeyr and his team. All samples were collected under government-issued permits by qualified and trained personnel.

A big thank you to Dr Gwen Penry, Chanel Visser, Senior Marine Ranger at CapeNature, Lauren Moriarty and the NVT interns, Rahul and Priyanka from Eco Explorer, our Conserve Eden interns, Kade and the ORCA Foundation volunteers, and the volunteers of the Plett Stranding Network.

Every stranded animal provides an opportunity to learn. Through careful examination and collaboration, these animals can continue to contribute valuable knowledge to marine conservation — even after death.

Don’t be a doos.

A beach isn’t a braai spot.
And it isn’t a bar.

Yet this is what was left behind after someone decided it was both.

A fire in the sand. Empty bottles everywhere. And a beach that someone else now has to clean up.

Surely whoever did this knew it wasn’t okay. But incase this is what you do in your own home, and that’s why you thought it was acceptable, we’re here to be clear - it’s not.

It’s not about spoiling anyone’s fun - it’s about respecting what each space is for. You wouldn’t dig up your garden to build a sandcastle, or use your lounge as a campsite. Let the beach be a beach.

The beach belongs to the kid digging in the sand tomorrow morning.
The birds living and feeding along the shore.
The person walking barefoot.
The families swimming in the shallows.
The fish and seals and dolphins and whales, who don’t want to deal with rubbish in their homes.

Leave the beach for what it’s meant to be - a place to enjoy, not a place to leave your mess.