Over Three Tons of Marine Debris Cleared During De Hoop Nature Reserve’s Annual Coastal Clean-Up

De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, 30 May 2025 - Over the weekend of 16 and 17 May 2025, volunteers at De Hoop Nature Reserve removed more than three tons of coastal litter during the reserve’s annual beach clean-up.

Spanning a remote 16km stretch of shoreline, in the normally restricted Denel Overberg Testing Range, the clean-up effort yielded a wide array of marine debris, including buoys, rope and netting, plastic waste, and other litter – much of which is suspected to have drifted ashore from vessels passing this marine protected area.

Organised by the Morukuru Family Goodwill Foundation in collaboration with CapeNature, De Hoop Collection, and Morukuru Family De Hoop, the event, now in its fourth year, drew a diverse group of participants including the staff of the organisations.

Across the weekend:

• 50 volunteers participated

• 4+ kilometres were cleaned

• 203 bags collected

• 197 meters of rope removed

• 3.28 tons of litter were collected

“De Hoop Nature Reserve is home to endangered species like the African black oystercatcher, acts as a key release site for sea turtles, and is host to the largest gathering of southern right whales that migrate through these waters each winter. These efforts play a critical role in protecting local wildlife from entanglement and ingestion of plastics,” said Anka Zeeman, Co-Founder of Morukuru Goodwill Foundation and Morukuru Family.

The Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, in partnership with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, has sponsored the satellite tags of two green turtles– Bheni released in De Hoop Nature Reserve in December 2023 and Nori, scheduled for release once conditions are suitable.

Beyond the physical clean-up, the initiative served as an opportunity to raise awareness about the impacts of marine pollution and the role tourism can play in environmental stewardship.

“This event revolves around picking up litter, but it’s also very much about connecting people to nature in a way that lingers long after they leave. We’ve always believed that true luxury includes giving back,” added Zeeman.

"Protecting the natural beauty of De Hoop Nature Reserve is core to who we are," said William Stephens, owner of De Hoop Collection, a member of Cape Country Routes. "It’s deeply rewarding to be part of this collective effort to clean our coastline. Regular removal of marine pollution matters, and we hope you'll join us again next year."

Bites Beach Café, a coastal eatery located above Koppie Alleen beach, hosted the post clean-up lunch, and highlighted their ongoing “Plastic for Coffee” initiative, which rewards beachgoers who collect litter.

Now in its fourth year, the De Hoop clean-up has become a recurring example of how purposeful action supports conservation efforts in protected areas.

Read more in our blog.