Under lockdown level 3, many sectors have been allowed to trade or operate to some degree. However, the tourism and leisure sectors have remained closed for months, impacting on thousands of jobs and the finances and well-being of millions of South Africans. Reopening local tourism may contribute to securing employment for many, which would act as a lifeboat for vulnerable … [Read more...]
Conservation NGOs welcome the reopening of nature-based tourism
The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected almost every aspect of life as we know it. In South Africa alone, the economic effects are devastating with the GDP expected to decline by between 8% and 10% in 2020. Job losses are estimated at over a million and more than 160 000 businesses are expected to close their doors. Under Lockdown Level 3, many sectors have been allowed to … [Read more...]
Animal Rebellion calls on government to prevent future crises
Today, the civil disobedience group Animal Rebellion have organised an online protest action commenting on the government’s contribution to the climate and ecological crises and calling on them to prevent future crises and end animal farming. Stating that the SA government has “blood on their hands” the animal and climate justice organisation referred to the government’s … [Read more...]
Let’s raise our voices and demand a just recovery for all
In July, the people that control the budgets of the world’s 20 richest countries – Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors – will meet to discuss how they will spend public money. In the midst of a global health pandemic, where people have lost so much, will they opt for a ‘business as usual recovery’ and bail out industries that drive climate crisis and inequality – or … [Read more...]
Help support our nature protectors this World Ranger Month
This year, Zimbabwe ranger Charles Chinobva faced and survived one of the many dangers that come with being a ranger - a close encounter with a Black Rhino which left him with a severely punctured lung. Charles Chinobva and Junior Pfumgwa were on a mission to photograph a black rhino mother and her calf. Once spotted, Charles pointed the camera in their direction. “As I … [Read more...]
Youth empowerment and capacity building for conservation
With the unemployment of youth in South Africa standing at just over 50%, it is not surprising that the Youth employment sits high on the agenda of our government and the world at large. As we close off the Youth Month theme for 2020, “Youth Power: Growing South Africa together in the period of Covid-19,” Somkhanda Community Game Reserve has collaborated with Bhejane Nature … [Read more...]
Civil society calls for protection of the Congo Basin peatlands
In a petition addressed to Multilateral Development Banks, Member States of the African Union, Member States of the United Nations, and donor countries and partners of the Central African Forest Initiative, the African Climate Reality Project is calling for world leaders to save the Congo basin peatlands from oil exploration and corruption. The Congo Basin, home to the … [Read more...]
EU must tackle forest destruction to reduce the risk of pandemics
While the world continues to grapple with the devastating consequences of Covid-19, WWF is calling for urgent action to address the key drivers it has identified which will cause future zoonotic disease outbreaks. In a new report Covid-19: Urgent Call to Protect People and Nature, WWF identifies a number of environmental factors which drive the emergence of zoonotic … [Read more...]
The reemergence of Europe’s biggest wild cat
Here is some good news about humans learning to live in peace with nature. Indeed, both CAN thrive together. This is the only sustainable future. The Eurasian lynx was once quite common in most of Europe. However, their abundance has been dramatically reduced in the last two centuries due to hunting, landscape changes and deforestation. With the 11th of June celebrated as … [Read more...]
Place your bid with purpose for conservation
WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, recently launched an online auction to raise funds for the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve anti-poaching unit. This 12 000-hectare reserve which was formally proclaimed through the Land Reform process in 2005 by the local Gumbi community, has become one of the only community owned reserve success stories in South Africa. The … [Read more...]
The slow, steady return of Europe’s biggest wild cat
After several decades of low numbers, the return of the lynx to the European forests is slow but steady. The Eurasian lynx was once quite common in most of Europe. Nevertheless, most original populations became extinct, or their abundance has been dramatically reduced in the last two centuries due to hunting, landscape changes, and habitat fragmentation that hinder … [Read more...]
Reusable shopping bags tread lightly on Mother Earth
The South African plastics industry has welcomed the recent findings released by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), confirming that reusable, plastic shopping bags have the lowest environmental footprint compared to carrier bags made from alternative materials. The study was funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and aimed to … [Read more...]
Stop the next coronavirus: ban wildlife trade!
Our world has changed beyond belief - hundreds of thousands have died, shops are shuttered, and we can’t even hug our family and friends. The likely cause of this pandemic? The global wildlife trade. We know it’s driving the extinction of thousands of species, and is responsible for animal rights abuses - and now experts warn wildlife markets could be a “ticking time … [Read more...]
