One of the most biodiverse areas on the west coast, the Ramsar-listed Langebaan Lagoon has for some time been threatened by the planned expansion of the iron ore terminal on the northern end of Saldanha Bay.

Concerns over the terminal expansion plans resulted in the Ramsar Secretariat earlier this year suggesting that the lagoon be listed on the Montreaux Record – a list of ecologically compromised Ramsar sites.