Who would have thought a suburban swimming pool could save lives? William and Lisa Macdonald, of Sun Valley, near Fish Hoek in the Western Cape, may have found a way to help save the endangered western leopard toad (Schlerophrys pantherinus) from extinction in their area. “We settled here eight years ago and found the greenery of the dune belt, nestled at the foot of Table … [Read more...]
COP21: Pacific Islanders on the front line of climate change
Up to 70% of Pacific Island dwellers would have to migrate due to climate change. This was said at COP21 today. The United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) presented the first nationally representative household survey conducted on climate change and … [Read more...]
Ordinary citizens across Europe helping ailing refugees
Last week saw yet another horrible development in Europe’s refugee crisis: the discovery of 71 bodies in an airless truck, abandoned by an Austrian highway. But the tragedy seems to have galvanized an uprising. Yesterday, Austrians took to the streets in Vienna, to say that they don’t want Europe to become a “mass grave” for people fleeing conflict in other parts of the … [Read more...]
Joy as migratory falcon arrives in KwaZulu-Natal
Raptor enthusiasts across the world were overjoyed and relieved to learn that a migratory female Amur Falcon (falco amurensis) finally reached her wintering grounds at Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal on the 10th of January 2013 after an eventful 14 500km journey from the species’ breeding grounds in northern China and Mongolia. This bird was fitted with a satellite transmitter in … [Read more...]
More than 80 leopard toads start marching
On Monday 27 August, toads started migrating in Sunvalley Fish Hoek and Lakes, with more than 80 toads recorded in 3 hours! The following day, toads in Noordhoek joined the party and the ToadNUTS (Noordhoek Unpaid Toad Savers) had calls coming in from Devilliers farm, Living Art farm and in Noordhoek proper as well as Fish Hoek sports fields. Volunteers were trying really … [Read more...]
The world’s scientists’ climate change observations
As the UN’s climate change conference begins in Durban, Survival calls for the ecological knowledge and insights of tribal peoples to be heeded in global decisions concerning climate change. From the Amazon to the Arctic, tribal peoples typically have the smallest ecological footprints, having practiced sustainable ways of life for thousands of years, but they are also more … [Read more...]
Through the eyes of a toad!
Imagine you are a western leopard toad living in your snug little home under a pot plant for 11 months of the year, happily snacking on organic, 'pesticide free' cockroaches and crickets in your vegetable patch at night while your human sleeps. It's the end of July, it's raining and the moon is getting fuller with every passing night. Your belly is laden with 1000 eggs … [Read more...]
Watch out for the toad moon
The next full moon is the start of our resident endangered Western Leopard Toad's epic migration across the Western Cape's roads to their local breeding ponds! In Noordhoek a group of special folk, the ToadNUTS dedicate themselves to helping ensure a safe passage for the toads towards and back from their breeding places. Now they are counting the days to the big work … [Read more...]
Navigating the protein crunch
Twenty-five thousand people die per day from starvation, while as many die of obesity-related conditions. This was just the start of what I learned at the launch of Jason Drew and David Lorimer's new book, The Protein Crunch at The Bay Bookshop in Cape Town. If these words are a fracture of what's contained in the book, I thought, it is going to blow my mind. And that's … [Read more...]
