Kogelberg C.A.R.E

The “Kogelberg C.A.R.E” mobile app is a free tool for Coastal Area Reporting and Engagement. It is designed to encourage active citizenship for taking collective care of Kogelberg’s ocean and coastline. This includes simple functionality to report incidences of poaching, pollution, or marine wildlife strandings. Users can also quickly report any sightings of wildfires in the fynbos-heart of the Kogelberg.

The app was designed to be used – and useful – by those who live, work, and play in the Kogelberg area. This includes tourists and residents of the Kogelberg’s coastal towns of Kleinmond, Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay, and Rooiels, as well as local business owners, scientists, and local authorities.

An important part of these coastal communities is the local small-scale fishers who know this coastline better than most. By using the C.A.R.E app to report any ocean and coast issues, they can be the frontline defenders for the well-being of the sea and its vast array of marine species.

After downloading the app, a quick registration process allows users to start using the concise app. Plus, ocean-loving users of the app will also get local weather information and be alerted to any marine issues such as a case of a red tide and the related need to avoid collecting mussels.

The app’s welcome page greets you with a pair of perky African penguins – a resident species at the Stony Point Nature Reserve in Betty’s Bay. However, these iconic seabirds are endangered. Such an app is a critical aspect of ensuring that any marine issues can be captured – and then addressed – appropriately.

The backend of the app is connected to South Africa’s “C-More” national security cluster which means that any logged incident will be correctly and quickly assigned to the relevant authority. There is a 24/7 Command Centre that monitors all reported incidents.

C-More was developed by the Council for Scientific Research as a closed system to connect various national departments that deal with environmental crimes such as rhino poaching and illegal succulent harvesting. However, C-More has not had a strong marine component. Until now. In connecting the Kogelberg C.A.R.E app to C-More, it will be the first time that a public-facing app will feed into South Africa’s national security cluster. Thus, it is the first time that citizen support will be able t