On Saturday, 20 March, the plight of amphibians came into sharp focus with the celebration of World Frog Day. One conservation-driven developer that is creating a safe indigenous habitat to protect the local species from extinction is Renishaw Property Developments, developers of Renishaw Hills, a mature lifestyle estate in the mid-KZN South Coast. In partnership with the … [Read more...]
Greenhouse gases still at record levels after lockdown
The industrial slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not curbed record levels of greenhouse gases which are trapping heat in the atmosphere, increasing temperatures and driving more extreme weather, ice melt, sea-level rise and ocean acidification, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The lockdown has cut emissions of many pollutants and greenhouse … [Read more...]
New spots for frogs in the Western Cape
In a bid to better understand the distribution and threats facing several highly threatened and endemic amphibians, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Threatened Amphibian Program recently launched a project in the Western Cape, focusing on five of the most range-restricted frogs of the region. This work is being done in partnership with the Bionerds, supported by the Whitley … [Read more...]
Lessons learned from biomimicry
Over the centuries, nature had to overcome every obstacle we humans are also faced with today. How to transport liquids, colour things, cure illnesses, fix objects to all surfaces - to name but a few. We have been overcoming these obstacles in our very innovative and unnatural ways, with the result that we are slowly but surely killing our own ecosystem. The idea of turning … [Read more...]
Tigerfish prove to be good geologists
Tigerfish are helping scientists to find out more about the geological history of Africa – and in the process, scientists are discovering what might turn out to be new species of this much sought-after and ferocious game fish. It seems that the number of tigerfish species has been underestimated. By analysing the genetic variation between various populations of living … [Read more...]
Burning wetland stops us in our tracks
On Friday afternoon we were about to hit ‘send’ to release this issue, when a thick smoke invaded our office like a ghost. We ran outside to see the wetland beyond our wall go up in flames – fanned by a strong wind blowing in our direction. Ironically we were just focusing on the importance of wetlands as central to healthy ecosystems and here they are destroyed again. This … [Read more...]
Fragile butterflies have nowhere to go
Anyone who has made their way along the Midlands Meander will know that it is represented by a butterfly. This little guy, known to entomologists as Orachrysopsariadne, is restricted to the Karkloof and Merrivale area because of its life cycle. Like most Lycaenids, its larval stage depends on specific plant and ant species. This fussy eater is extremely vulnerable to … [Read more...]
Farmers set to follow nature
Pressures on our natural capital, such as alien plant species, water pollution and overuse of resources, have caused a chain reaction of negative effects threatening our agricultural sector. Whether it is visible like sedimentation in our dams, or less visible such as fewer effective pollinators, the impact is enormous. This was said at the CAPE Partners' Conservation and … [Read more...]
