More than 300 species conservation experts at the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Species Survival Commission Leaders’ Meeting in Abu Dhabi, 6 – 9 October 2019, released a statement for urgent and effective action to address the unprecedented, unsustainable and growing impacts on wild species from human activities. In the statement the members of the … [Read more...]
Enlightened self-interest needed to protect the ocean and climate
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Crysophere in a Changing Climate reveals the extent of the crisis facing humanity as the ocean and its services begin to show signs of collapse. Although the ocean is inextricably linked with the climate, the two working together to make planet Earth habitable, this is the first time that … [Read more...]
Calling on Azores government to protect threatened sharks
Last year WILDOCEANS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, joined a global movement led by ‘Sharkproject International’ in a bid to put an end to shark finning. A letter was drafted and endorsed by 57 signatory parties from academia, retail, fisheries, the NPO sector and environmental government departments from all over the world. The letter was written to spread awareness about the … [Read more...]
World record setters raise awareness of ocean pollution
On this week's African Voices Changemakers, CNN meets endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson and freediver Shamier Magmoet, both of whom are using their talents to raise awareness of pollution in the oceans. World-record setting swimmer Sarah Ferguson is using charity endurance swims to raise awareness of the importance of ocean conservation. She tells the programme why the issue … [Read more...]
Marine conservation NPO wins climate action award
Cape Town based environmental organisation, I AM WATER, has won the prestigious Beyond Sport “Sport for Climate Action Collective Impact Award”, supported by the Swedish Postcode Foundation, for sharing ocean conservation and snorkeling experiences with thousands of students in South Africa. Beyond Sport announced the inaugural winners of their Collective Impact Awards, a brand … [Read more...]
Shailene Woodley sails to the Sargasso Sea with Greenpeace
Greenpeace has launched an expedition to the Sargasso Sea, a unique region in the North Atlantic Ocean, to study the impact of plastics and microplastics on marine life, and to document the importance of this unique ecosystem for protection under a new Global Ocean Treaty that is being negotiated at the UN. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza departs from Penno’s Wharf in Bermuda and … [Read more...]
Scientists fear impact of seabed mining on deep-sea ecosystems
Bacteria from the ocean floor can beat superbugs and cancer. But habitats are at risk from the hunger for marine minerals When Prof Mat Upton discovered a microbe from a deep-sea sponge was killing pathogenic bugs in his laboratory, he realised it could be a breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic resistant superbugs, which are responsible for thousands of deaths a year … [Read more...]
Greenpeace report warns of ‘irreversible harm’ from deep sea mining
The world’s oceans could face severe and irreversible harm unless tighter environmental safeguards are put in place to protect them from the risks of deep sea mining, warns Greenpeace report In Deep Water. Shining a light on this emerging threat, the report reveals that the deep sea mining industry is aware that their activities could result in the extinction of unique … [Read more...]
Pharmaceuticals found in fish caught off Cape Town’s coast
The ocean around Cape Town is so polluted that pharmaceutical and industrial chemical compounds are accumulating in the flesh of fish caught off the coast. Scientists from the University of the Western Cape's chemistry department have found that fish caught by small scale commercial fishers in Kalk Bay (such as snoek, bonita and hottentot) are contaminated by antibiotics, … [Read more...]
Beating plastic pollution and recognising a fallen ocean hero
The South African plastics industry will team up with various industry partners to celebrate World Oceans Day on 8 June. Douw Steyn, Sustainability Director at Plastics SA stresses that every person has a responsibility to keep our oceans clean. “Research has shown that 85 % of the litter found in oceans is from land based sources. Our activities this week and throughout … [Read more...]
African businesses urged to dive into Blue Economy
African businesses are being challenged to wake up to the economic, social and environmental power of the Blue Economy. Africa Blue Economy Forum (ABEF) comes to Tunis on June 25-26; Confirmed speakers include Government ministers and officials from Gabon, Ghana, Morocco, Somaliland, Tunisia and Seychelles; Aims to raise awareness of the economic, social and environmental … [Read more...]
Celebrating the expansion of SA’s Marine Protected Areas
A Marine Protected Area (MPA) Celebratory Dinner was held at the dockside, next to the WILDOCEANS’ Research Vessel Angra Pequena in Durban on Tuesday evening 16 April, to celebrate the announcement of 20 new and expanded MPAs by South Africa’s Cabinet at the end of last year, and to honour all those who played a role in the expansion. The event, hosted by WILDOCEANS (a … [Read more...]
Marine protection expansion project moves towards 10% coverage
On World Oceans Day on the 8th of June 2018, a coalition of organisations including WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST), Ocean Unite, WWF South Africa, Centre for Environmental Rights and the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), united to advance the protection of the oceans around South Africa within Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) and … [Read more...]
