The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree … [Read more...]
Octopus fishing in False Bay is killing Bryde’s whales
Octopus fishing off the coast of Cape Town is supposedly being carried out for ‘research purposes’. But no research has been published and the gear being used is killing not just octopi, but also Bryde’s whales. Read the full article at Daily Maverick. … [Read more...]
Protest against Namibian seal clubbings
'The quota this year has been set for 85 000 baby seals that are still nursing from their mothers' teats. These are beaten to death with pick handles so that their fur pelts may be sold for US $7.00 A further 6 000 adult bull seals will be shot at point blank range so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac,' said Pat Dickens, co-ordinator of Sea … [Read more...]
Quest to save the Clanwilliam Cedar Tree
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat has long been committed to saving the endangered Clanwilliam cedar tree (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) from extinction. On the 21st of May (2011), this ecological haven in the Cederberg once again joined forces with CapeNature to co-host the annual Clanwilliam Cedar Tree event in Heuningvlei in the Cederberg … [Read more...]
South African birds in trouble
Of the 9 856 bird species on Earth, 1 226 are listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. Forty of these occur in South Africa and of these 20 are endemic. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, species are now disappearing from our planet at an alarming rate, and studies have shown that this is mostly driven by human activities. The International Union … [Read more...]
Truth about endangered giant sable revealed
It was hoped that the presence of the Zambian antelope would be a lifeline for the survival of the giant sable, described as critically endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species. It was feared that the giant sable had completely died out in the wild because of the effects of the Angolan civil war. Then two small populations of these majestic antelope with their … [Read more...]
Too late for biodiversity?
I don't like to spread bad news - I prefer to inspire people. But some things need to be said, else we are simply keeping our heads in the sand. The hard truth can also be liberating - and it seems we need liberation from our own ways. Something everyone needs to know is what impact humans have had on our planet's biodiversity over the past 40 years. What happened to other … [Read more...]
SA is world leader in plant species survey
In one of the continent's largest collaborative conservation projects to date, South Africa has become the first of the world's mega-diverse countries to fully assess the status of its entire flora - a staggering 20 456 species. The assessment was published in a book entitled the Red List of South African Plants, which was launched at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town on Earth Day by … [Read more...]
