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About

The Knysna Estuary Research Foundation is an NGO based in Knysna, South Africa, focused on coastal system research – particularly how these systems change over time, what actions can be taken to effectively manage and conserve these systems and how communities can and should live within these systems.

Coastal social-ecological systems are challenged by the escalating consequences of population growth, urbanisation and climate change. Addressing these challenges requires informed management and behavioural change. Because they fuel each other, both are required if we are to sustain the flows of benefits we derive from these systems.

Our mission is to promote and support the conservation of the highly productive and biodiversity rich Knysna Estuary, using targeted scientific research, knowledge creation and dissemination, societal education and stakeholder collaboration.

Knysna Basin Project Research IconRESEARCH

Develop, facilitate and promote demand driven conservation and management focused research aimed at maintaining and/or achieving the desired ecological state of estuarine and coastal social-ecological systems. Read more.

Knysna Basin Project Educate Icon

EDUCATE

Provide and implement relevant environmental education to stakeholders in social-ecological systems through the development of scientifically based, goal-oriented education programmes. Read more.

Knysna Basin Project Conserve IconCONSERVE

Determine the occurrence, extent and effects of anthropogenic impacts on natural systems, and provide scientific guidance and resources to maintain and/or achieve the desired ecological state of a system. Read more.

COLLABORATE

Facilitate and support a Community of Practice that provides a learning platform for research, education and conservation. Read more.

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DONORS

Thesen Islands Knysna
Leisure Isle Boat Club

Rhodes University
MySchool

Knysna Municipality
Knysna Marathon Club
Barloworld

Rufford Foundation

National Geographic

SUPPORT

🌿 Closing Talk of the Town Tuesday for 2024! 🌊

Don’t miss our final Talk of the Town for the year, featuring the renowned Professor Richard Barnes! Join us as he delves into the fascinating world of Knysna’s seagrass beds and estuarine invertebrate fauna. With decades of expertise in marine ecology, Professor Barnes will guide us through the vital role of seagrass in Knysna, from its ecological importance to the unique patterns of snails, crabs, and other invertebrates that call it home.

📅 Date: 26th November, Tuesday
🕕 Time: 17H30 for 18H00
📍 Venue: Knysna Yacht Club Restaurant
💰 Entry: R70 per person (kids under 12 free)
🍔 Extras: Cash bar & burgers for sale!

🎟 Reserve your spot now! Book on our website under the education banner!

Let’s wrap up 2024 with insights that deepen our connection to Knysna’s unique ecosystems. This is a talk you won’t want to miss!

#knysna #KnysnaLiving #knysnalagoon #seagrass #conservation 

@knysnayachtclub @oceanodysseyknysna
🌊 Talk of the Town Tuesday is back! 🦭 Join 🌊 Talk of the Town Tuesday is back! 🦭

Join us for an exciting and insightful evening as Chanel Visser, Senior Marine Field Ranger for CapeNature, unpacks the hidden threat of unprovoked aggression in Cape Fur Seals. With new observations sparking concerns of a potential epidemic, Chanel will dive deep into the implications of seal/human conflicts and share solutions on managing this issue.

🗓 Date: 29th October, Tuesday
⏰ Time: 17H30 for 18H00
📍 Venue: Knysna Yacht Club Restaurant
💸 Entry: R70 per person (kids under 12 free)
🍔 Bonus: Cash bar & burger night!

Proceeds fund the Talks Educational Project, bringing these important discussions to local schools! Help us make a difference while learning about crucial environmental issues.

🎟 Secure your spot now! Click here to book: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/product/talk-of-the-town-tuesday-october/

Hurry, seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of something bigger!

@knysnayachtclub @oceanodysseyknysna #knysna #knysnaevents #knysnaestuary
🚨 Important Announcement 🚨 Unfortunately, d 🚨 Important Announcement 🚨

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow's talk has been postponed. Our scheduled speaker is unwell and unable to attend from Cape Town. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are booked up for the rest of the year so we will postpone this particular talk to early next year and will announce the new date then.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you at the rescheduled event!

Stay tuned for updates!

Knysna Yacht Club Ocean Odyssey Knysna
🌟 Talk of the Town Tuesday: The Cradle of Culin 🌟 Talk of the Town Tuesday: The Cradle of Culinary Culture 🌟

Join us for an engaging and educational evening at Knysna Yacht Club, where experts will dive into the fascinating relationship between culinary arts, tourism, and conservation in South Africa! Discover how eco-tourism, culinary adventures, and cultural heritage are shaping a new era of sustainable tourism in the Cape Floral Region.

🗓 Date: Tuesday, 17th September
🕔 Time: 17:30 for 18:00
📍 Location: Knysna Yacht Club Restaurant
💰 Cost: R70 per person (Kids under 12 are free)
🍔 Extras: Cash bar & Burger Night

🎟️ Limited seats available! Secure your spot by booking online or pay at the door. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn and contribute to our educational projects. Proceeds help fund talks for local schools, so your attendance makes a difference!

👉 Click here to book your tickets now: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/product/talk-of-the-town-tuesday-september/👈

Brought to you by: Knysna Estuary Research Foundation, Knysna Yacht Club , and Ocean Odyssey Knysna 

#Knysna #TalkOfTheTownTuesday #EcoTourism #CulinaryCulture #SustainableTourism #CommunitySupport
🐟✨“I’ve learned so much this evening!” 🐟✨“I’ve learned so much this evening!” remarks a spectator, keen to get involved in conservation efforts and make a difference. 🐟✨

For the full lowdown on our most recent 'Talk of the Town Tuesday' event you can read it on our blog on our website (link in bio).

Ocean Odyssey Knysna Knysna Yacht Club #environmentaleducation #estuarineconservation #knysnaestuary #talkofthetowntuesday
✨🐳We’re excited to welcome a new volunteer ✨🐳We’re excited to welcome a new volunteer to the Knysna Estuary Research Foundation! Gabriela Guberman will be helping us share our work with a wider audience, by capturing photos and writing stories about the talks we host, as well as our ongoing research projects. Gabriela has a passion for marine conservation and storytelling, as well as a deeply rooted love for the outdoors – especially the ocean. She will be covering the talks hosted by the Foundation, as well as documenting the scientific research conducted by our team. Through a combination of writing and photography, she will provide an inside look at the ground-breaking science taking place in the Knysna Estuary. We look forward to seeing how she will bring this research to life, educating our community about the critical work being done to preserve this beautiful and essential ecosystem.✨🐳

Read more about Gigi on our website (link in bio)!
🌊 Join us for an Inspiring Talk on Coastal Cons 🌊 Join us for an Inspiring Talk on Coastal Conservation! 🌊

Next Tuesday the 20th, we're excited to host Mark, the founder of the Strandloper Project, for a captivating talk titled "Coastal Research Expedition: Mapping Ocean Plastic Waste and ALDFG in the Southern Cape." 🐟

Mark started the Strandloper Project in 2018, aiming to clean up snagged fishing tackle from the reefs at Gericke’s Point. With his background as a CCAMLR Scientific Observer in the Ross Sea, Mark recognized the opportunity to study the impacts of ghost fishing, lead poisoning, and entanglements caused by recreational fishing. His work soon expanded to include extensive coastal research expeditions, mapping the density and distribution of ocean plastic and abandoned fishing gear along our shores. 🌍

As a passionate naturalist and active field researcher in various environmental fields, including ornithology and marine science, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. He's dedicated to the belief that understanding our environment starts with diligent observation and hands-on research.

Buy your ticket here: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/product/talk-of-the-town-tuesday-august/

📅 When: 20th August 2024
📍 Where: Knysna Yacht Club
💵 Cost: R70 (All proceeds will fund a similar talk for underprivileged schools in the area)

Don't miss this chance to learn about the challenges facing our coastlines and how you can be part of the solution. See you there! 👏 Learn more and follow updates: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/talk-of-the-town-tuesday/ 

@Knysna Yacht Club Ocean Odyssey Knysna
✨🐳Whales and Human Culture! WOW! What absolut ✨🐳Whales and Human Culture! WOW! What absolutely spectacular talks by Dr. Deborah Robertson-Andersson - we were blown away with just how much we are connected to these gentle giants. We will definitely be bringing Deborah back for more talks.

We hosted two talks - one at Knysna Yacht Club (just the best venue) and our second talk was for the grade 4 - 7 scholars at Knysna Primary School and what fun was had inspiring our future leaders and marine conservationists! ✨🐳

If you want to find out more about this initiative and our intentions as we grow it, please do visit: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/talk-of-the-town-tuesday/

Stay tuned for the next talk topic and the next school or community group that will be receiving a talk. 

@oceanodysseyknysna @Ocean Odyssey Knysna @knysnayachtclub #knysnaestuary #knysnalagoon #estuarineconservation #knysna
✨Talk of the Town Tuesday is back on Tuesday the ✨Talk of the Town Tuesday is back on Tuesday the 30th of July!!✨

It's with great excitement that we are welcoming back Dr. Deborah Robertson-Andersson. She is a renowned expert in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture and has shifted her focus towards promoting human connection with nature. In recent years, she has been dedicated to educating communities along the Southern African coastline about the majestic humpback whale. Her mission is to raise awareness about their migration patterns, historical significance, current conservation status, and the importance of preserving their existence for future generations.

✨✨AND on top of this we are starting an initiative to bring these talks to our local schools, the proceeds from your ticket purchase will help us make this happen, learn more here: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/talk-of-the-town-tuesday/ 

Do join us as Deborah shares her valuable knowledge. 
Book online to secure a seat: www.knysnaestuary.co.za/product/talk-of-the-town-tuesday-july/

 #knysnawhalewatching #whalewatching #gardenroute #knysnawhales #knysna #whalewachtingknysna #oceanodysseyknysna
🐟🐟We are excited to announce our new flagshi 🐟🐟We are excited to announce our new flagship initiative, the White Steenbras Project, dedicated to studying and preserving the White Steenbras in the Knysna Estuary. This project utilizes cutting-edge acoustic telemetry technology to monitor the movements and behaviors of these fascinating fish. 🐟🐟

Find out more on the link in bio - navigate to research tab.

#knysnaestuary #whitesteenbras #estuarineecology #marineconservation
🌟 Thank You for a Successful White Steenbras Ta 🌟 Thank You for a Successful White Steenbras Talk! 🌟

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our recent talk on the endangered White Steenbras (Lithognathus lithognathus). Your presence and enthusiasm made the event a massive success! We are incredibly grateful for your donations, which will significantly support our ongoing conservation efforts.

We can't wait to share more detailed information about this vital project with you. For those who want to learn more, please visit our dedicated webpage www.knysnaestuary.co.za/the-white-steenbras-project/

Stay tuned for updates on our next exciting talk and the initiative we have planned alongside it. We look forward to seeing you there and continuing our journey to protect the Knysna Estuary together!

💙🌿 #KnysnaEstuaryResearch #WhiteSteenbras #Conservation #ThankYou #CommunitySupport #StayTuned Ocean Odyssey Knysna Knysna Yacht Club
Join us on the 25th of June at Knysna Yacht Club t Join us on the 25th of June at Knysna Yacht Club to learn more about this beauty! More information can be found in our previous post 🐟

#conservation #knysnasouthafrica #talkofthetown #knysnaestuary #KnysnaEstuaryResearchFoundation #whitesteenbras Ocean Odyssey Knysna
🌟 Talk of the Town Tuesday! 🌟 We're excited 🌟 Talk of the Town Tuesday! 🌟

We're excited to announce our next event in collaboration with Knysna Yacht Club and Ocean Odyssey Knysna, continuing our series of engaging and educational talks about Knysna's unique biodiversity! 🐟

Due to the overwhelming success of last month's event, we will be limiting tickets to 100 this time—so make sure to secure yours early: (link in story).

This month’s topic: The WHITE STEENBRAS! Join us as Alan Whitfield, Kyle Smith, and Jessica Seath shed light on the endangered white steenbras in the Knysna Estuary. Discover the fascinating history, current status, and critical conservation efforts for this iconic species.

Bring your family and friends for an evening of insight and stay afterward for drinks and pizza to chat with our experts!

All ticket proceeds will support the conservation of the white steenbras. For any inquiries, please contact jessica@knysnaestuary.co.za

#knysnaestuary #conservation #talkofthetown #knysnasouthafrica
📢 Exciting News! 📢 We are thrilled to annou 📢 Exciting News! 📢

We are thrilled to announce that the Knysna Basin Project has officially rebranded to the 𝐊𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐧𝐚 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🌊✨

Our new name better reflects our dedication to the vibrant and biodiverse Knysna Estuary. With this change, we renew our commitment to promoting and supporting the conservation of this critical ecosystem.

Our mission: “To promote and support the conservation of the highly productive and biodiversity-rich Knysna Estuary, using targeted scientific research, knowledge creation and dissemination, societal education, and stakeholder collaboration.”

Join us on this exciting journey as we protect and celebrate the natural beauty and ecological importance of the Knysna Estuary. Stay tuned for updates over the next few weeks as we share more information about our upcoming project on conserving the endangered White Steenbras.

🔗 Follow us for updates and support our mission:

  Website: link in bio.

Thank you for your continued support! Let's work together to make a difference. 💙🌿

#KnysnaEstuaryResearchFoundation #Conservation #Biodiversity #Research #Community #Education
Wow!! What a turnout at our event last night - we Wow!! What a turnout at our event last night - we had over 130 eager guests. We are so grateful to everybody that attended and hope you enjoyed learning about our beautiful blue stingray and the conservation efforts going into protecting this species 🐟🥳

Thank you to our wonderful speaker @tellysmarinetales for teaching us so much about stingrays and really just bringing this work to life! Please make sure to check out the ELMO Africa website (elmoafrica@gmail.com) to get involved as a citizen scientist by submitting your sightings or pop Chantel an email at elmoafrica@gmail.com to see how you can donate to this work. The research that was presented is done in collaboration with @nrf_saiab , @sanparks , @orca_foundation_south_africa , and @rhodes_university 

Please stay tuned for the poster about our June 'TALK OF THE TOWN Tuesday'! Or if you would like the poster to be emailed directly to you please send us your email address Knysna Yacht Club @oceanodysseyknysna
𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑲 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑶𝑾𝑵 𝑻𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚!

We are collaborating with the @knysnayachtclub and @oceanodysseyknysna to bring you a series of fun, interesting and informative talks on all things Knysna and her unique biodiversity! 🦭🐟🐙

First up we have: The BLUE STINGRAYS! Join Dr Chantel Elston as she tells us about the beautiful creatures that frequent the Waterfront Harbour every year in aggregations - and the research that they are doing to understand more about this behaviour.

Everybody is welcome! Bring your kids, friends and parents to the Knysna Yacht Club for a talk and stay afterwards for a drink and a pizza to ask our expert any questions that you may have!

𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐲 @ 𝟏𝟕𝐡𝟎𝟎!

*Any questions can be directed to jessica@knysnabasinproject.co.za
𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟳𝟬 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀!📖🐟

We want to say a massive thank you to everybody who has purchased a copy of our book '𝐊𝐧𝐲𝐬𝐧𝐚 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 - 𝑱𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆' and sent such stunning feedback. 

We have sold over 400 books and are thrilled to be able to share this incredible piece of work with everybody who holds Knysna dear to their hearts.

Get your copy before we are all sold out ... and watch this space for some of our new exciting upcoming projects. #conservation #knysnalagoon 

*Follow link in bio to website to purchase book. #Knysna #knysnaestuary #knysnaheads
The genesis of Knysna Estuary―Jewel of the Garde The genesis of Knysna Estuary―Jewel of the Garden Route happened three years ago midway through a stroll along the edge of the eelgrass beds fringing the quiet northeastern side of Leisure Isle. I was ruminating about a vociferous braai-side debate the previous evening when topics concerning the much loved Knysna Estuary (or lagoon as it’s more popularly called) had been aired. Should outboard motor power be limited? Does the fish catch bag limit affect the realities of contemporary fish populations? Is the partially treated sewerage water in the Ashmead Channel being sufficiently flushed by tidal movement? What effect will rising sea levels have on the estuary? These are amongst the plethora of questions asked and argued endlessly by people who have fallen under the spell of perhaps South Africa’s most beautiful stretch of water. So many questions and no reliable in-depth source of information to address them.
Instagram post 17985032468256380 Instagram post 17985032468256380
Join Prof. Alan Whitfield online this evening for Join Prof. Alan Whitfield online this evening for the 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 in memory of JLB and Margaret Smith. This years lecture will be discussing 𝗞𝗻𝘆𝘀𝗻𝗮 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 - 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲.

Here is the link to watch this online: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqc-iorTgpHdDgLDzh4JFFMd37wW-qR55l

The lecture will be made available after the event via a link on the SAIAB website (www.saiab.ac.za), should you miss it this evening.

#SAIAB #Southafricaninstituteforaquaticbiodiversity #NRF #nationalresearchfoundation
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About KERF

The Knysna Estuary Research Foundation is an NGO based in Knysna, South Africa, focused on coastal system research – particularly how these systems change and how communities can and should live within these systems. Our research is applied and aimed at guiding and facilitating management of our local systems, whilst developing novel conservation approaches for coastal systems in general. The Knysna Estuary Research Foundation is based on four pathways: Research, Educate, Conserve and Collaborate.

Recent Posts

Talk of the Town: Rabies in Cape Fur Seals
Gabriela GubermanNovember 11, 2024
Talk of the Town: Coastal Research Expedition
Gabriela GubermanAugust 23, 2024

Contact Info

Want to find out more or collaborate – get in touch.


Email: jessica@knysnaestuary.co.za

Website: http://knysnaestuary.co.za

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