{"id":6791,"date":"2026-08-07T18:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T16:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=189064"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T16:30:19","slug":"south-african-born-mpa-day-makes-a-global-splash-with-record-breaking-2026-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/south-african-born-mpa-day-makes-a-global-splash-with-record-breaking-2026-celebrations\/","title":{"rendered":"South African-born MPA Day Makes a Global Splash with Record-Breaking 2026 Celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What began as a South African initiative has become one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing ocean conservation movements, with 2026 the biggest celebration of MPA Day yet! Held annually on 1 August and now officially endorsed as a United Nations Ocean Decade Activity, this celebration of Marine Protected Areas (nature reserves of the sea) plays a vital role in protecting the ocean \u2013 and ultimately the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year we hoped for 50 activities to celebrate MPA Day. Over 100 activities took place around the world. This year I secretly hoped that we would reach the same number. I was thrilled to see that in 2026 we had even more celebrations, and we know that more are still to come!\u201d said Dr Judy Mann-Lang, from the Two Oceans Aquarium and Founder of MPA Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to say an enormous \u2018thank-you\u2019 to every single person who organised an activity \u2013 I know how much work goes into the planning and running for these events. Thanks to those who participated and to those who shared their stories. This year we saw an increasing number of people sharing the importance and value of MPAs for ocean protection. This MPA Day we truly saw human connection in action for the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

MPA Day Celebrations Across South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Africa once again led the celebrations, with activities taking place across many of the country\u2019s Marine Protected Areas. This is a selection of just some of the many activities that took place locally \u2013 with more celebrated across the ocean!<\/p>\n

Along the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife introduced learners to the rich biodiversity of the uThukela Marine Protected Area. In Sodwana Bay in the iSimangaliso MPA, Adventure Mania and the Maputaland Hope Spot organised fun runs, marine conservation lessons, rocky shore explorations, beach clean-ups and creative ocean-themed activities.<\/p>\n

Over on the KZN South Coast, Wild Alliance Africa and the Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot hosted a 33km beach walk, guided scuba dives, snorkelling excursions, citizen science activities, and a screening of the Mission Blue documentary centred around Aliwal Shoal MPA.<\/p>\n

Across the Western Cape and Garden Route, celebrations showcased the diversity of ways people can connect with the ocean. Nature\u2019s Valley Trust introduced primary school learners to MPAs through guided rocky shore explorations, while Conserve Eden hosted educational hikes at Robberg Nature Reserve.<\/p>\n

Around Cape Town, the Two Oceans Aquarium welcomed families to discover the fascinating life of the rocky shore, the I AM WATER Foundation led community snorkels through the Great African Seaforest, Trail Freedivers explored Water\u2019s Edge Beach, Ocean Pledge took people kayaking in False Bay, Save a Fishie organised a beach clean-up supporting the Robben Island MPA, Cape RADD organised a snorkelling activity, and Guardians of the Deep completed their Swim for Life fundraising initiative across the Table Mountain and Robben Island MPAs.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Dr Mann-Lang said the success of MPA Day extends far beyond a single day on the calendar: \u201cWhile we\u2019re already excited about what MPA Day 2027 might look like, our goal has always been much bigger than one annual celebration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want MPA Day to inspire a global movement that continues throughout the year. Whether you reduce plastic pollution, support sustainable seafood, volunteer at a beach clean-up, educate others, contribute to research or simply spend time appreciating the ocean \u2013 every action matters. If each of us commits to doing something positive for our ocean between now and next year\u2019s MPA Day, together we can create lasting change for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep Updated on all MPA Day Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Visit www.MPADay.org for upcoming events and activities
\u00b7 Check out the MPA Day videos on YouTube
\u00b7 Follow Marine Protected Areas Day on Instagram
\u00b7 Follow @MPASouthAfrica on Facebook
\u00b7 Follow MPA Day on LinkedIn<\/p>\n

MPA Day FAQs<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. What is MPA Day?
Marine Protected Area (MPA) Day is celebrated annually on 1 August to raise awareness of the importance of Marine Protected Areas in protecting marine biodiversity, supporting sustainable fisheries, strengthening climate resilience and connecting people with the ocean.<\/p>\n

2. Why is the United Nations endorsement significant?
MPA Day is officially endorsed as a United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean Decade) Activity, recognising its contribution to global ocean conservation, collaboration and public awareness while helping expand the movement internationally.<\/p>\n

3. Can I support MPA Day throughout the year?
Absolutely. Ocean conservation doesn\u2019t end on 1 August. Supporting sustainable seafood, reducing plastic waste, participating in citizen science, joining local clean-ups, sharing ocean knowledge and visiting Marine Protected Areas responsibly are all ways to contribute year-round.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Author<\/strong>: Agnes Matladi from Olivia Jones Communications<\/a> on behalf of MPA<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Pages: Page <\/span>1<\/span> Page <\/span>2<\/a><\/div>\n

CLICK HERE to Read the Original Press Release on MyPR<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What began as a South African initiative has become one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing ocean conservation movements, with 2026 the biggest celebration of MPA Day yet! Held annually on 1 August and now officially endorsed as a United Nations Ocean Decade Activity, this celebration of Marine Protected Areas (nature reserves of the sea) plays a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic","date":"2026-08-07T20:33:28+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3msjfpg2d2o2y","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3msjfpg2d2o2y\",\"cid\":\"bafyreiezlqewetubuooswatl4gt73wb3ojqd5jwyl74soxvxmh2thyp37e\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreihbz6rc5voujb7qmt3nan2ldrzyivplhded6vfbsheygsklip2o3i\",\"rev\":\"3msjfpg2jvg2y\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[29],"class_list":["type-post","category-news","tag-mypr-africa","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6791\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}