The African penguin was first classified by the IUCN as Endangered in 2010 and their population continues to decline (BirdLife International 2020)
African penguins have been identified by the IUCN Penguin Specialist Group as one of three of the global 18 species of penguin that require urgent conservation intervention.
A population assessment in 2021 showed that over the last 30 years (three generations), the number of African penguins breeding in South Africa has declined by 73% from about 42 500 breeding pairs in 1991 to about 10 400 pairs in 2021, a loss of almost a quarter of the remaining penguin population in two years.
The global wild population is now estimated at 14 700 pairs in total; about 10 400 pairs in South Africa and about 4 300 pairs in Namibia.
In 2018, based on rates of population decline at the time, it was predicted that the population along the West Coast of South Africa could be functionally extinct by 2035 should no further actions be implemented.
The African penguin has lost nearly 97% of its population ‒ less than 3% of its historical levels in the wild.
Protected colonies have been set up in the Western Cape, including Boulders in Table Mountain National Park and the Stony Point colony in Betty’s Bay
The Independent on Saturday