The African penguin — the only species that breeds on the continent — has been uplisted to critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning it is one step away from becoming extinct in the wild.
The population of the seabirds, found in South Africa and Namibia, has plummeted from nearly one million breeding pairs in the early 1900s to only 8 324 pairs in 2023 and the species could be extinct in the wild by 2035.
The African penguin is “undergoing an extremely rapid population decline”, mostly because of competition from commercial fisheries and climate-mediated shifts in its prey populations, the IUCN said In its assessment.
“Recent, near-complete count data for the number of breeding pairs show an alarming acceleration in the rate of decline and the current and future projected population reduction exceeds 80% over three generations,” it said.
The reclassification marks a crucial juncture in the future of the species, according to BirdLife South Africa, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) and Blue Marine.
African penguins are battling threats that include habitat loss; pollution; increased vessel traffic and noise; predation and disease, but the leading cause of their decline is a shortage of food caused by climate change. This is worsened by competition from commercial purse-seine (large net) fishing around breeding colonies.
The commercial fishery no-take zones surround six African penguin colonies, but these zones fail to sufficiently protect foraging areas, forcing penguins to compete with commercial fisheries for food, the organisations said.
In March, BirdLife South Africa and Sanccob initiated landmark litigation against the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment to demand more protective no-take fishing zones around key breeding colonies.
The availability of sardine and anchovy is the key driver of the African penguin population, said Alistair McInnes, of BirdLife South Africa.
“The sustainable management of purse-seine fishing, such as the implementation of effective no-take zones around the last remaining large colonies, is a critical intervention to help conserve this species,” he said.
For Richard Sherley, of the University of Exeter in England, the African penguin’s listing as critically endangered highlights a much bigger problem with the health of the environment.
“If a species as iconic as the African penguin is struggling to survive, it raises the question of how many other species are disappearing without us even noticing. We need to act now — not just for penguins, but to protect the broader biodiversity that is crucial for the planet’s future,” he said.
With an estimated combined value of R1.9 billion to R4.5 billion in 2023, the conservation of African penguins represents “not just an environmental priority, but also a significant economic and social opportunity for South Africa”, according to a new assessment on the value of the seabirds.
The report, compiled by Anchor Environmental Consultants, was commissioned by the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, with input from the African Penguin Biodiversity Management Plan working group.
The authors provided estimates of the tourism, recreation and existence value of African penguins and described the property-related, media-related and educational benefits and potential reputational risk of failing to conserve the species.
The country’s penguin colonies attract several hundred thousand local and international tourists annually, which contributes significantly to economic activities in the surrounding areas, the report said.
“When factoring in additional income generated from accommodation, guided tours and other tourism-related activities, the total economic contribution from penguin colonies nationwide was estimated to be between R613 million and R2.7 billion,” said the report.
This underscores the role that penguin-related tourism plays in supporting local economies, jobs and businesses. About 1 046 to 4 611 jobs are linked to penguin colonies.
People also benefit from knowing about the existence of African penguin colonies, irrespective of whether they aim to ever visit them, the research found. This is expressed through their stated willingness to pay to ensure their conservation.
A survey in Cape Town found that residents would collectively be willing to contribute between R551 million and R731 million annually to conservation efforts.
The report noted that the total tourism value of all penguin colonies, including Boulders, Stony Point, Dassen Island, Bird Island, Robben Island, Dyer Island and St Croix Island was estimated to be R613 to R2 702 million in 2023.
The government is legally considered the owner of the African penguin and is morally its custodian. The report found that the loss of the species “would be a very large reputational risk to South Africa”.
“If the African penguin population is lost completely, South Africa’s brand reputation as a naturally rich and environmentally healthy destination, famed for its natural assets, will suffer,” the report said.
Species survival depends on long-term commitment from the government, in the same way that South Africa has achieved for other species such as rhino.
“Failing at conserving the African penguin would mean that the national government does not fulfil their mandate and that they did not do everything in their power to prevent species extinction,” the report said.
It is not enough to declare new marine protected areas, for example, through Operation Phakisa. Such actions also need to be supported through additional funding for the new protected areas.
“Increasing funding could work as a short-term solution, but .. a better understanding and awareness of what a functional extinction of the African penguin population really means is needed,” the report noted.
Policymakers have to make trade-offs between fisheries, industry interests (including ports and bunkering), and penguin habitats, with industry needs usually trumping those of the species. “Solutions to these issues are not straightforward and require a holistic approach.”
Ultimately, improved management and policy is the answer, the report said. An ecosystem approach to fisheries is needed and ocean health needs to be managed much better, not only focusing on one particular species, but taking a whole-system perspective.
“It needs to be ensured that rehabilitated penguins are released into an ecosystem that can support them. Island closures for fishing around penguin breeding colonies are currently not adequate, but as a concept, they do give penguins a chance to find more food, feed their young and have a more successful breeding season.”
A longer-term solution could be a moratorium on sardine fishing to revive the population. Last year, the department reported that sardine stocks were considered depleted.
Driving the African penguin population to extinction could have severe and potentially irreversible ecological consequences. The decline and loss of penguins could cause disruptions in the health of ecosystems and could trigger additional losses in the wider ecosystem.
The intrinsic value of a species, its inherent worth beyond utility, imposes a moral duty to protect it and prevent harm, the report said.
“If the ethical imperative alone does not justify the allocation of necessary resources, a compelling economic argument could further underscore the urgency of preventing further catastrophic losses and restoring penguin populations to sustainable levels.”
The seabirds were recently moved to critically endangered status, meaning drastic action has to be taken to save them from being wiped out
