The world is currently grappling with the worst public health emergency in recent memory. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the link between zoonotic diseases - those transmitted from animals to humans - and wildlife trade into sharp focus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the current COVID-19 pandemic, along with at least 61% of all human … [Read more...]
Conserving sharks and rays in the Indian Ocean
At a press conference held in Johannesburg recently, the issue of overfishing and overuse of ocean resources was unpacked with a specific focus on the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). WILDOCEANS, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and TRAFFIC collaborated on a presentation given at the conference with a specific focus on overfishing linked to sharks and rays. Rhett Bennett, … [Read more...]
Pangolin poaching requires urgent government action
South Africa and neighbouring states must act urgently to save what is already the world's most smuggled mammal. The conservation NGO WildAid estimates that 100 000 pangolins are taken from the wild each year in Africa and Asia. Scales from more than a million pangolins have been traded globally in the past decade, with seizures by law enforcement surging from 21 kg in 2011 to … [Read more...]
Large illegal logging operation uncovered in Mozambique
In October 2019 a successful security operation led to the arrest of several suspects involved in a large illegal logging operation in Mozambique’s Coutada 4, a hunting concession that lies on the northern border of Zinave National Park. After hearing what sounded like chainsaw operations in an area where logging is strictly prohibited and having suspicions confirmed by … [Read more...]
West Coast rock lobster court ruling “historic”
WWF has welcomed the Cape High Court's historic ruling on West Coast rock lobster, after many attempts over several years to engage with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). The court has upheld WWF's view that the decision to set last season’s Total Allowable Catch for West Coast rock lobster at an unsustainably high 1 924.08 tons was irrational, … [Read more...]
Notorious Russian vessel detained for illegal trawling
Following the detention of the Russian-flagged trawler the “Oleg Naydenov” by the Senegalese national navy on charges of illegal fishing, Greenpeace reiterates its support to the government of Senegal for the enforcement of fisheries legislation and calls on the President and his government to remain firm on its commitment to put an end to illegal activities by such … [Read more...]
Offenders pay the price for illegal dumping
Earlier this month, The City of Cape Town issued fines totalling R105 700 in a multi-agency, city-wide operation targeting dumping, environmental crime and other by-law contraventions. The areas covered included the Philippi Horticultural Area, Nyanga, Mitchells Plain, Harare, Vrygrond, Khayelitsha, Baden Powell Drive, Muizenberg, Brackenfell, Elsies River and … [Read more...]
A contribution to rhino anti-poaching considerations
The Sophia Foundation supports and promotes a reverence and love for all living beings and the natural environment. The impulse to write this paper comes out of a deep concern for the rhino that are being killed for their horn. We ask why it is that despite all the money and efforts being spent on anti-poaching the rhino death toll is escalating at a rate that threatens the … [Read more...]
Reversing the plight of the oribi
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) Threatened Grassland Species Programme (TGSP) has entered into an exciting partnership with the South Africa Community Action Network (SA CAN) that will assist the EWT in combating illegal hunting with dogs, especially when threatened species such as Oribi are targeted. The Oribi, a highly specialised antelope inhabiting Africa’s … [Read more...]
