A new peer-reviewed study published in Science provides a novel scientific framework to consistently understand, plan, establish, evaluate and monitor ocean protection in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Authored by 42 marine and social scientists from 38 institutions across six continents, The MPA Guide: A Framework to Achieve Global Goals for the Ocean enables the global … [Read more...]
Plans for frog protection hop into action
Good news for nature lovers in the Helderberg! Frog lovers are ready to hop to the next level after the rescue attempt at Paardevlei during March this year. During our first rains a large colony of platanna froglets hatched at the Paardevlei area near the Somerset Mall and decided to brave the busy R44 to reach the nearest water body at the Sanctuary dam during a mass … [Read more...]
Let’s help free Charlie from the Pretoria Zoo
Charlie is a African bull elephant living at the National Zoological Garden of South Africa also known as the Pretoria zoo. We have learnt much since zoos became fashionable forms of entertainment in late 1899 when this zoo was founded. Zoos, like circuses, are becoming redundant all over the world. Zoos are incapable of being able to offer elephants the space which … [Read more...]
Greenpeace Africa responds to Congo oil block cancellation
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to remove Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision follows clarification “provided by the national authorities that the oil concessions overlapping with the property are null and void and that these blocks will be excluded from future … [Read more...]
Researching climate change’s impact on pangolins
A little over five years ago, Dr Wendy Panaino, a researcher at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, followed her passion and began the journey to investigate the potential impacts of climate change on the pangolins of Tswalu. Parts of Africa are predicted to get hotter and drier with climate change, yet little is known about how mammals might cope with these changes. The already hot … [Read more...]
Game reserve needs support in bolstering anti-poaching efforts
Somkhanda Game Reserve rangers are joining more than 150 ranger teams across Africa in gearing up for the 2021 Wildlife Ranger Challenge. This multi-million-dollar fundraising initiative culminates on 18 September and supporting thousands of the men and women on the frontline of Africa’s protected areas. Africa’s rangers are stretched to capacity and continue to see drastic … [Read more...]
Rehabilitated leopards released at Mpumalanga game reserve
Leopard siblings Jack and Claudi began the adventure of their young lives when they were recently released into the wild at Nkomazi Private Game Reserve near eManzana (Badplaas) in southern Mpumalanga. The two animals were stolen from their den while they were still tiny cubs and offered for sale to illegal wildlife traffickers. Members of the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism … [Read more...]
A new shark and two rays for Africa
What better way to celebrate Shark Awareness Day (14 July) than with the news of a new shark and two rays (flatsharks) in African waters? A new species of shark and 2 rays (guitarfish/ flatsharks to be exact) have recently been described by Dr David Ebert, an ichthyologist (devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish, cartilaginous fish, and jawless fish) based in … [Read more...]
Harnessing technology to combat shark trafficking
Recognising the challenges faced by law enforcement officials, WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST) through their ‘Shark & Ray Protection Project’ (underwritten by the Shark Attack Campaign), the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and TRAFFIC have put together a series of training sessions that will assist customs and law enforcement … [Read more...]
Make-a-Difference Week beach cleanup a great success
The 5 to 13 June 2021 was Make-a-Difference Week, a worldwide effort to reduce negative environmental impacts. The Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET) team kicked off the nine-day commitment with a beach cleanup from Sunrise Beach to Muizenberg on World Environment Day, which was also the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. There was … [Read more...]
Help stop offshore oil and gas drilling at Richards Bay
Oceans Not Oil has started a petition calling on Minister for the Environment Barbara Creecy, to withdraw her approval of Italian oil corporation ENI and Sasol’s application (ER236), for exploratory drilling offshore of Richards Bay and Scottburgh. These companies, with poor safety reputations, were given the go ahead to drill at record depths in the Agulhas Current, known … [Read more...]
Monaco royalty raises awareness about rhino poaching
Imagine if we had to wake up on a planet that no longer had any rhinos. Will we tell our children that we did nothing as these magnificent creatures were hunted into extinction? What a tragic day that will be! This is exactly the scenario Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco wants to avoid. HSH Princess Charlene’s recent trip to Africa began as an opportunity to … [Read more...]
Why Kenya is conducting its first ever wildlife census
With borders closed during the pandemic, Kenya’s billion-dollar tourism industry has lost over 80% of its revenue. In a report from Amboseli National Park, CNN’s Larry Madowo joins the Kenya Wildlife Service as they conduct the country’s first ever National Wildlife Census. Najib Balala, Kenya's Tourism Minister, tells Madowo that the industry is not expected to recover … [Read more...]
