In celebration of Women’s Day 2022, WILDTRUST, through their Ocean Alive Project based in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park invited women from in and around the Marine Protected Area to their 3 Community Resource Hubs to discuss several topics that affect the women of Northern Zululand. Two hubs were launched late last year as valuable spaces for communities, namely Mabibi and … [Read more...]
Let’s #WearItWild to help protect our wildlife
Unleash your wild side during WWF South Africa’s #Wear It Wild fun campaign and take on the special persona of your favourite animal, be it the long-legged giraffe, the hefty elephant or the stealthy lion with you to work, school or university. WWF South Africa is calling on nature lovers across the world to get creative with animal-inspired fancy dress and face painting on … [Read more...]
Connecting the world in the fight for ocean health
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...]
African Conservation Awards open for nominations
This World Ranger Day we are excited to announce that nominations are open for the 2022 African Conservation Awards. An annual celebration to recognise the brave men and women across Africa who play a vital role in protecting our endangered species and in doing so raise awareness of their amazing work. Often facing physical danger, political opposition and severe … [Read more...]
Sturgeon slipping towards extinction
All 26 remaining sturgeon and paddlefish species are threatened with extinction according to today’s IUCN Red List update, which confirmed the extinction of the Chinese paddlefish and the extinction in the wild of the Yangtze sturgeon as well as raising the threat level for seven other species across the globe. The new assessment carried out by members of the IUCN Sturgeon … [Read more...]
South Africa to increase ocean protection to 10%
There was much celebration in 2019 when the South African Marine Protected Area (MPA) network expanded to 41 MPAs encompassing 5.4% of its mainland waters, and the hope is that our country will celebrate again soon with a shift of our MPA footprint to 10%. A key step in this conservation planning process is the production of the Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBA) Map, not a … [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...]
Earth Jurisprudence and systemic change
In South Africa, we are seeing environmental struggles being fought every day. Activists, communities, lawyers, school children and many others are fighting to protect the ecosystems that sustain us all. Important battles have been won, including most recently the Deadly Air case which recognised poor air quality in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Highveld region as a breach of … [Read more...]
Campaign aims to save SA sharks and rays
Last week welcomed significant news and positive movement for marine conservation in South Africa - a country that sits in the top five as a global hotspot for shark and ray diversity – as the WILDTRUST announced the launch of its newest marine campaign. On The Brink is a campaign underwriting a 3-year project called ‘Sanctuary for Sharks & Rays’ driven by WILDTRUST, in … [Read more...]
Anchovies: a tiny fish with a big impact
Anchovies - a tiny salty fish, that appears to barely be recognised at all. There are many contributing factors that allow the Ocean to thrive but what we need to acknowledge is the importance of these nutrient-rich fish. Anchovies play a vital role in the oceans ecosystem as they are a crucial food source for other sea creatures. Water is the life of our Planet. Without … [Read more...]
Number of wildfires to rise by 50% by 2100
Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal. The paper calls for a radical change in government … [Read more...]
Communities speak out against Wild Coast seismic surveys
In the run-up to next week’s highly contentious court hearings to stop Shell’s seismic surveys and any further bids to explore the Wild Coast for offshore oil and gas, communities in the Eastern Cape are speaking out against traditional leaders who, at the end of April, following secret meetings with Minister Gwede Mantashe (in February 2022), agreed to support oil and gas … [Read more...]
Celebrating the diversity of bees
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops … [Read more...]
