The Beach Co-op was born from our desire to do something for the ocean that gives us so much. In 2015, a group of volunteers started gathering at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg to clean waste, much of it plastic, that was accumulating along the rocky shoreline. This impromptu movement has grown into a dedicated non-profit organisation on a mission to build ocean communities that care.
Our story
Our vision
We work collaboratively and creatively within ocean communities and with government and business to urgently protect, restore and regenerate the integrity of ocean ecosystems.
Our mission
Our mission is to effectively connect people, institutions and organisations through evidence-based education and experiential learning to keep South Africa’s beaches clean and healthy and to protect and enhance ocean health.
OUR TEAM
A DEDICATED ALL-WOMEN TEAM WITH EXPERIENCE IN BOTH ACADEMIA AND ADVOCACY
Aaniyah focuses on work that connects people and nature. She has 15 years of experience in the conservation sector with a strong emphasis on finding the balance for what is good for the earth and good for the people. In 2021 she was selected as one of 20 African female conservationist to participate in the first cohort of Women for the Environment in Africa. She is a registered PhD student at the Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University.
AANIYAH MARTIN,
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Ffion has extensive experience working in oceanography, community-based conservation
and water resource management. For the last five years she has been working at the intersection of urban resource flows, natural ecosystem function and social context within the broader aim of urban resilience. Ffion is also currently affiliated to the African Climate Development Initiative (ACDI) as a postdoctoral researcher working on projects related to groundwater in rapidly growing South African cities.
and water resource management. For the last five years she has been working at the intersection of urban resource flows, natural ecosystem function and social context within the broader aim of urban resilience. Ffion is also currently affiliated to the African Climate Development Initiative (ACDI) as a postdoctoral researcher working on projects related to groundwater in rapidly growing South African cities.
DR FFION ATKINS,
Co-founder and Director
Thando is a marine biologist, oceanographer and environmental scientist. She has always enjoyed understanding the ocean and its communities at a holistic level, and this love allows her to approach her work from different perspectives. Leading with collaboration, Thando's aims to contribute to the regeneration of ubuntu, understanding that the wealth of a community is measured by the health of its surrounding environment. Her work in the consulting space in the private and public sector, as well as her work as a youth ambassador to the EU-lead All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance has allowed Thando to carry these important conversations across different professional, geographical and social contexts and scale
Thando Mazomba,
Co-Founder and Director
Megan-Rose is a marine conservationist with a love for sharing this with our youth. She has volunteered at various marine institutes since the age of 16 and has been working with TBCO for the past 3 years.
MEGAN-ROSE FRANCIS,
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Nicole is a marine scientist whose research has primarily focused on the implications of climate change and biological invasions for marine biota. She is a postdoctoral researcher at Stellenbosch University and aims to better understand the drivers of global change with the purpose of reducing human caused destruction of our planet. To this end she has teamed up with TBCO to learn more about one of these drivers of global change, plastic pollution.
Dr Nicole Martin,
Intern
Advisory Team
STEFANIE SWANEPOEL
STRATEGY & PLANNING
MARIA HONIG
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
DR PETER RYAN
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
OUR PARTNERS
