The West Coast National Park

The fossils found in the dunes of Geelbek and Eland's Bay, are enough to make your hair stand on end: short-necked giraffe, a four-tusked elephant and sabre toothed cats.  If you close your eyes, you can see the picture... strange pre-historic animals with the beautiful Langebaan lagoon as background... 

But even without these creatures, the West Coast National Park is a very remarkable, unique place.  Okay, you will not find the elephants or black rhinos of which the first European visitors reported back. Also none of the other of our Big Five. Maybe you will even just see a few antelopes: eland, red hartebeest, Cape grysbok, common duiker or Grey Rhebok.  But you will never be bored! The scenery compensates for everything.

The 38 000 ha big West Coast National Park boasts enough fauna and flora to keep the average visitor happy for hours.  A total of 54 terrestrial mammals could be found, as well as a wide range of marine mammals, including Southern Right Whale and Heaviside Dolphin. The 308 bird species occurring here make it a top birding destination, especially for Palearctic waders in summer.  Langebaan Lagoon is the most important wetland for waders in South Africa, regularly accounting for circa 10% of South Africa's coastal wader numbers.  The lagoon is particularly attractive to waders as its mudflats ooze with countless mollusks and crustaceans. It consistently supports more than 20 000 non-passerine waterbirds in summer, of which 16 500 are waders and 93% are Palearctic migrants. In some years wader numbers can increase from 4 000 in winter to 20 000 in summer.    It is common to see Curlew Sandpipers, Turnstones, Whimbrels, Curlews, Godwits and Greenshanks in summer months.  

Twelve percent of the world's African Black Oystercatcher population is found scattered throughout the IBA, mostly on the islands.  There are 33 reptile species, including substantial populations of angulate tortoises, two species of girdled lizard and eight amphibian species. Interesting enough the very rare Southern adder, first described as late as 1997, has lost much of its habitat to development and now finds refuge in the park.  It is a small adder averaging 28cm.   About 29 species of bony fish and five species of sharks and rays have been recorded.  More than 400 species of marine invertebrates live in the Langebaan Lagoon alone and over 200 species of marine algae can be found in Saldanha Bay  and the lagoon.  The West Coast National Park encompasses Langebaan Lagoon, a wetland of international importance and a designated Ramsar site; the coastal zone, which includes Postberg Nature Reserve and much of 16 Mile Beach; and the islands in Saldanha Bay. 

The lagoon, an arm of Saldanha Bay, is approximately 15 km long, 3 km wide and up to 6 m deep, and is sheltered from wave action. The spring tide range extends from 1.7 m at the mouth to 1.4 m at the lagoon's southern end. Several hydrological conditions change along the length of the lagoon, creating a gradient of habitats. Although it receives no significant freshwater input above ground, the lagoon is fed by a number of underground aquifers. 

The rich mud of the salt marshes supports dense populations of mollusks and crustaceans. Some 71 species of marine algae have been recorded in the lagoon and its verges are lush with salt-marsh succulents and dense stands of bulrushes, reeds and freshwater vegetation. The lagoon serves as a nursery ground for juvenile fish, and gobies, pipe-fish, skates, rays and small sharks are common. Extensive areas of mudflats, sand flats and salt-marsh succulents (concentrated in the south) are exposed at low tide. The mud at Langebaan is said to contain some 60 million bacteria in every cubic centimeter and is recognised as one of the most biologically productive areas in the world.

The proclamation of the national park at this site precludes most threats, although the Industrial Development Zone at Saldanha and the expansion associated with it could impact negatively on the system as a whole. After the completion of the Sishen–Saldanha railway line in the early 1970s and the construction of a deep-water harbour in Saldanha Bay, the area was committed as a major port for the export of iron ore. Major industrial development subsequently led to the town's growth. Metal pollution from the iron-ore berth and pollution and oiling incidents from urbanisation and shipping pose a threat to the future of the lagoon. The development of the port has already altered the hydrodynamics and physical structure of the bay; it is due to be expanded and the number of different products exported, including various minerals and chemicals, will be increased.

These changes, which include the development of potential phosphate mines next to the IBA, pose a major threat to the sensitive ecosystems of Langebaan Lagoon in that increased shipping traffic and industrial activities may result in oil or chemical spills. The inter-tidal salt flats, marshes and rocky islands are at particular risk. Chronic pollution from crude oil or other contaminants that spill into the ocean when tankers break open, wash their tanks, dump cargo or pump bilge can occur. African Penguins are particularly susceptible to events such as this and a single oil disaster can severely affect populations. One large spill could threaten all the important seabird populations at the Saldanha Bay islands, as well as impact the Ramsar-designated Langebaan Lagoon.

Dredging required to deepen the harbour is an additional threat as it can lead to increased sedimentation in the lagoon itself. A fine layer of sediments on the mudflats reduces habitat quality for invertebrates and could also reduce the foraging quality for birds. Sewage effluent overflows and leaks from soak-away tanks in the towns of Langebaan and Saldanha occasionally affect water quality in the bay, impacting negatively on the sensitive ecology of the system and potentially reducing the habitat quality.