The second annual MPA Day, which is held on the 1 August every year, welcomed many countries in celebrating Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and their value to ocean, and human health. The initiative, which started in South Africa last year, brings global awareness to these ‘nature reserves of the sea’, with community-based events hosted at various MPAs this year. “We’re so … [Read more...]
A spanner in the works for Tendele mining
The Pretoria High Court condemned Tendele’s 2013 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in its recent judgment on 4 May 2022 because: “The defective public notices issued by Tendele during September 2013 were only a precursor to the scoping phase, where the wheels came off. The wheels came off when the regional manager DMR, KwaZulu-Natal (RM), allowed Tendele’s … [Read more...]
Bringing yellowfish back to Baynespruit River
The Baynespruit River in Pietermaritzburg, classified as highly polluted, is being rehabilitated to an extent where the yellowfish is being reintroduced into the river. Yellowfish, or scaly yellowfish as they are affectionately known by anglers, are being re-introduced to the Baynespruit as part of an ongoing environmental rehabilitation project by leading edible oil … [Read more...]
SA youth say, “It is time to put Mother Earth on a carbon diet”
Barely two weeks after the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) visited KwaZulu-Natal to engage communities on climate change and the just transition, the province was hit with the worst floods we have ever seen. No longer merely environmental activist rhetoric, the floods are just more evidence that climate change is real and has devastating impacts, especially for … [Read more...]
Building biodiversity knowledge for action
A € 6.7 million (approximately R110-million) spatial biodiversity assessment, prioritization and planning (SBAPP) project that will improve environmental planning and monitor the status of indigenous species and ecosystems in four Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, namely South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi, commenced this month. The South … [Read more...]
Protecting African wild dogs in KwaZulu-Natal
On Saturday 2nd April 2022, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal released it's newest pack of African Wild Dogs, which is composed of four 3 year old males who were originally brought into the reserve from Tswalu Kalahari Reserve at the end of 2020, and two 2 year old females born in HiP. African Wild Dogs are Southern Africa’s most endangered carnivore with an … [Read more...]
Improving water security in the uMkhomazi catchment
When the community members of Nzinga requested assistance with the clearing of alien vegetation to improve access for their livestock for grazing purposes, the Sappi-WWF partnership saw this as a great fit for the work being done in the uMkhomazi catchment to improve water security in the area. As a result, a team of 10 individuals has been identified, appointed, and trained … [Read more...]
A gift that gives back to a rare SA forest
Astonishingly, only 0.5% of land in South Africa is forested. And within this, our increasingly rare mistbelt forests occupy an even tinier fraction. On the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal lies one such special place. Ferncliffe. It is the precious remnant of a biome that originally stretched over 2000 hectares. In a largely dry country, Ferncliffe is blessed … [Read more...]
Resource hubs aim to strengthen marine biodiversity
The 30th of September and 1st of October saw the celebration and grand opening of two community resource hubs in northern KwaZulu-Natal, namely Mabibi and KwaDapha. The hub construction and establishment forms part of the Oceans Alive iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area (MPA) Project driven by WILDOCEANS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, in partnership with iSimangaliso Wetland … [Read more...]
Donated gumboots invaluable at river clean-up
There are many benefits to wearing a good pair of vinyl gumboots. Apart from their ability to keep feet dry because they are water-resistant, gumboots also provide good grip, sole support and flexibility that makes the boots comfortable to the wearer. PVC gumboots are easy to clean, help avoid the build-up of bacteria and will even shield volunteers from insect or snake … [Read more...]
Connecting home to nature at the heart of true wellness
Today’s architecture takes its cues from nature. And rightfully so. It’s the underlying ethos of many new North Coast residential estates where developers have rehabilitated land once used for sugar cane farming or now overcome with alien vegetation. This architectural vision mimics natural shapes and forms, makes use of natural materials, and integrates design features that … [Read more...]
A run for conservation and heritage
The WILDSERIES Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge is one of the pioneering trail events in South Africa with its first event held in 1992. This set a precedent for trail running as this was a unique, sold-out event which was limited to 100 runners. It soon became the most sought-after event with an endless waiting list raising funds for the conservation efforts of Ezemvelo KZN … [Read more...]
Annual beach clean-up aims to preserve ocean life
Clean-ups happened across the country this month for World Environment Day. The theme of this year’s World Oceans Day was “Ocean: Life and Livelihoods” and this annual event helps to shed light on the wonder of the ocean and how it is our life source, supports humanity and every other organism on Earth. Plastics|SA supported this good work by sponsoring plastic bags, as … [Read more...]
