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South Africa’s stunning Plettenberg Bay has recently been certified as an official Whale Heritage Site (WHS), one of only three in South Africa to obtain the status, and one of only seven fully accredited WHS designations worldwide.
Plettenberg Bay is situated between two Marine Protected Areas (Tsitsikamma and Robberg) on the Garden Route. It supports diverse ocean wildlife, including Humpback whales, Southern Right whales, Bryde’s whales, Killer whales (Orcas) and Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins.
The WHS program is an initiative created by the World Cetacean Alliance, and currently runs in partnership with World Animal Protection, to formally recognize and accredit destinations around the world that support and demonstrate the importance of cetaceans and their ocean habitats. These sites empower and defend the right of local communities to care for and protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises through a collaborative management partnership.
They showcase an entire community and their relationship with the ocean by encouraging respectful human-cetacean coexistence – celebrating cetaceans in local culture, arts, and events; supporting local economic and environmental sustainability; and developing locally based science, research and education.
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