Dunes, archaeology and the National Monuments Act

Dunes have often provided a focus for human settlement in the past. Traces of Stone Age camp sites can be found in consolidated and unconsolidated dune systems both along the South African coast and inland. Such sites are useful for dating dune systems as well as for providing palaeoenvironmental information. Examples from the Early, Middle and Late Pleistocene and the Holocene are given for illustration. The National Monuments Act protects all archaeological and palaeontological sites as they are part of the history of South Africa and are a non-renewable resource. A permit is required for excavating sites and for collecting fossils and artefacts.