Shark nets planned for €100 million Club Med resort threaten endangered species in South Africa

Scientists are warning that proposed shark nets near a €100 million Club Med resort in South Africa could threaten endangered marine species, intensifying tensions between tourism development and marine conservation.

The €100 million development on KwaZulu-Natal’s northern coast combines beach and safari experiences in the coastal village of Tinley Manor, bordering the buffer zone of the protected uThukela Banks Marine Protected Area.

The coastline is habitat to several shark species, including bull and great white sharks. 

Both the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board and the local KwaDukuza Municipality advocated for the installation of “bather safety gear” as a precautionary “necessity” for public safety.

Such gear refers to traditional shark nets and drumlines in waters home to endangered marine species such as the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin.

Leading scientists in South Africa strongly oppose the use of such measures, arguing they are obsolete and that better ones exist. Moreover, the nets will kill large numbers of other marine animals, many of them endangered.

Nevertheless, the lodge remains on track to open on July 4 as scheduled, with the controversial safety measures in place.

No shark encounter since 1994

With up to 1,000 additional visitors expected to visit the resort's beaches per day, resort developer Collins Residential said the KwaDukuza Municipality applied to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) “to assess appropriate bather-safety measures” for this stretch of coastline. 

Collins Residential said an initial environmental impact assessment was made. But the public participation process held in November took place without a full environmental assessment.

“After further engagement with the relevant environmental authorities, it was determined that a full Environmental Impact Assessment is required in terms of the National Environmental Management Act,” Collins Residential said, responding on behalf of Club Med.

However, the DFFE confirmed to FRANCE 24 that Collins Residential's initial assessment “did not evaluate the impacts” of installing the nets and drumlines.

Dr Enrico Gennari, founder of the Oceans Research Institute, argues that in the absence of a full environmental impact assessment, “the public participation process has been flawed”, specifically citing “wrong and outdated information”.

Moreover, Gennari said, the project is unnecessary.

“None of us believes that there is any data that supports that adding nets and drumlines at Tinley Manor will reduce the risk of an encounter. And you know why? Because there has been no encounter at that location since 1994, and also no bites.”

Declining shark populations

Following the public participation process, Gennari and 10 other leading shark and maritime mammal scientists in South Africa felt compelled to publish an open letter opposing the installation of shark nets at Tinley Manor beach.

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board did not respond to FRANCE 24’s request for comment.

In their open letter, the scientists noted that the risk of shark encounter was already low, due to the “population declines of most of the shark species in the area”.

Following the death of a juvenile white shark in a net last year, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation wrote that “shark nets catch more than 500 sharks and other species every year”. Gennari noted in a recent article for Oceans Research News that “several independent indicators suggest that South Africa’s white shark population is more likely to be declining than stable”. 

Scientists argue that any discussion around shark nets must distinguish between target and non-target species, as well as threatened and protected species.

According to DFFE data on captures by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board’s nets and drumlines between 2016 and 2019 - 2021, an average of 58 target species are caught per year, including tiger, white and bull sharks. 

This compares with around 381 non-target animals per year, including marine mammals, turtles, non-dangerous sharks, rays and birds.

The most concerning recent casualty was an endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin in mid-February in Alkantstrand in Richards Bay, about 124km north of Tinley Manor.

The death of the endangered dolphin – fewer than 500 remain in South Africa – triggered renewed calls to halt the installation of lethal shark nets at Tinley Manor.

The shoreline along Tinley Manor was previously one of the highest-risk sites for humpback dolphin deaths in shark nets.

The SouSA Consortium – a group of conservationists and organisations working to protect the species – said in a statement that “re-installing lethal gear” in the area “is an unacceptable risk for the species, a risk that seems inconsistent with Club Med's high environmental standards, considering less than 1% of all animals caught in the nets are released alive”.

According to Gennari, the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board’s approach to bather safety is to “remove potentially dangerous sharks”.

“Their idea is one less shark, one less risk of an encounter for a human. So they are not there to separate people from sharks. They are there to kill sharks, large sharks and, unfortunately, by doing that, they kill much more.”

Alternatives

Scientists argue that non-lethal methods could also improve bather safety. Gennari explained that the most effective approach is usually a combination of several measures.

Proposed alternatives include drone surveillance, modern drumlines that allow sharks to be released alive and electromagnetic barriers designed to deter sharks.

Other options – including shark spotters and sonar technology to detect sharks – were also identified by the KwaDukuza Municipality.

However, some of these alternatives cannot yet be implemented.

“KZNSB’s research into alternative technologies for bather safety, including an electrical shark-repelling cable concept, is ongoing but not yet deployable,” the municipality wrote in its public participation document.

Club Med at a crossroads

Club Med now finds itself at a crossroads “in terms of its ethical approach”, Gennari said.

Collins Residential, speaking on behalf of Club Med, said that “sustainability is central to how Club Med designs and operates its resorts”.

“If it is true that they are looking after the wildlife population in the area, they cannot be seen as intentionally targeting and killing species that are at risk of extinction," Gennari said. 

"They need to decide: Are we [here] just for the money, or is [it] really true that we are interested in the well-being of our planet?”

Green Globe is a global certification standard for the travel and tourism industry aimed at promoting economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Collins Residential said that in 2025, nearly 90% of Club Med resorts worldwide achieved Green Globe certification for daily operations, including 100% of resorts in Africa. In South Africa, Club Med “aims to secure Green Globe certification within its first year of opening”.

Gennari emphasised that scientists are not opposed to the lodge’s development, but are simply calling for sustainable solutions.

He encouraged Club Med to collaborate with people “willing to help in making the right decision, using scientific data and a long-term approach to sustainable development”.

“It’s up to them, however, to make that decision.”