15/05/2026
We all need to do our part to save the beautiful species that are naturally found in South Africa.
IT's ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY
South Africa has extraordinarily rich marine biodiversity — over 13,000 species are recorded in its waters, with endemism estimated at 26–33%, the third highest marine endemism in the world after New Zealand and Antarctica. Unfortunately, many of these species are under serious threat. Here are the most notable endangered marine species:
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MAMMALS & BIRDS
• African Penguin — Critically endangered, with just around 19,800 mature individuals remaining in the wild in 2025. Population decline is driven by food shortages, shifts in prey distribution, competition with fisheries, and climate change.
• Southern Right Whale & Humpback Whale — Sheltered bays like False Bay and Hermanus serve as nurseries for these endangered whales, which migrate from Antarctic waters to South Africa's coast.
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SEA TURTLES
Five of the seven turtle species visit South African waters — the green turtle (endangered), hawksbill turtle (critically endangered), Olive Ridley turtle (vulnerable), leatherback turtle (critically endangered), and loggerhead turtle (near threatened), with both leatherback and loggerhead species nesting in KwaZulu-Natal.
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FISH & SHARKS
• Dageraad (seabream) — Classified as Critically Endangered according to South Africa's 2025 National Biodiversity Assessment.
• Sharks & Rays — Sharks, rays, and chimaeras are among the most threatened groups across all marine realms in South Africa. Species like the bull shark are listed as Vulnerable, while soupfin sharks are heavily overexploited.
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INVERTEBRATES
• South African Abalone (Haliotis midae) — Listed as Endangered, with exploitable biomass falling 68% over the past 45 years and current stock levels at only 1.2% of pre-fished levels from 1910. Illegal fishing removes more than twice as much biomass annually as legal operations.
• West Coast Rock Lobster — Also classified as Endangered, with illegal fishing playing a key role in its decline.
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CORALS
Of the 97 South African shallow reef-building corals assessed, 37% are threatened due to climate change. There are three Endangered *Montipora* coral species in South Africa, which are sensitive to thermal stress and provide an early warning of climate stress in reef ecosystems. South Africa experienced its worst coral bleaching on record in 2025.
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The main threats across all these species are overfishing and illegal harvesting, climate change and ocean warming, habitat destruction, and pollution. South Africa does have 42 Marine Protected Areas covering about 5% of its ocean, but conservationists argue this is still insufficient given the scale of the biodiversity at risk.
