Your beach might not be here next time

The Transkei beaches of the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape attract tourists and visitors from around the world. The vast, open beaches offer picturesque settings with free- roaming Nguni cows and ancient Milkwood trees nestled in dune forests, as opposed to developed coastlines filled with large vacation homes. Sadly, these dunes and pristine beaches are being destroyed by commercial sand and local-scale diggers to an extent that is out of the publics’ control. The only way to stop illegal mining and vehicle accessing coastal areas would be to intervene in the form of barricades and/or fencing. This act will allow sustainability of coastal dune forests and its unique associated organisms, keeping in mind that the Eastern Cape has the second most diverse floral kingdom in South Africa. The Red Milkwood trees growing in the dune forests are supposed to be a protected species, while they are not being protected currently. They take hundred of years to grow their majestic sizes, however they can be destroyed within days. Their vast root systems support the sand dunes, which collapse w...