Our oceans are dying. Beset by pollution and demolition by industrial fishing, the magical and bountiful deep blue is turning into a barren desert. But in the next 72 hours, governments are considering a new rescue plan - and we can help push it through.
At a one-of-a-kind event in Johannesburg last month, 18 of the 25 South Africans who have summitted Mount Everest, and two non-South African summiteers now residing in this country, collaborated in support of conservation.
The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) is proud to launch an exclusive 7-day conservation programme, affording South African citizens the opportunity to gain hands-on and practical experience in conservation and wildlife as well as the overall running of the Centre.
South African vultures are in serious trouble, especially the Cape Vulture, which is critically endangered, with only 2900 breeding pairs remaining. Reasons for their decline are varied, but include problems such as pylon injuries, malicious poisonings, muti killings and insufficient food sources.
We can never do enough for our rhinos, who are in danger of extinction. In 2009 there was a dramatic increase in rhino poaching, with 135 animals killed. In 2010, a staggering 333 animals were brutally slaughtered for their horns.
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat has long been committed to saving the endangered Clanwilliam cedar tree (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) from extinction.
The United Nations proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) in Forests to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
Last week three more rhinos died in the Kruger National Park. The demand for illegal rhino horn this time also claimed the life of a calf. Gunshots were heard and rangers went to investigate. Tragically, it was too late: The poachers were already sawing the horns off one of the rhinos.
Across the globe, amphibian numbers have been in fast decline since first reported in 1990. Habitat change due to human population growth has been identified as the leading factor, but in pristine habitats population reductions are as a result of a number of factors including ultraviolet light, climate change and infectious diseases.
A pack of 14 Endangered African Wild Dogs has been reintroduced into the Tembe Elephant Park, following extensive community liaison and preparation work over the past year.
Of the 9 856 bird species on Earth, 1 226 are listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. Forty of these occur in South Africa and of these 20 are endemic. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, species are now disappearing from our planet at an alarming rate, and studies have shown that this is mostly driven by human activities.
The end of seafood by 2048! The ocean without fish. Imagine the global consequences. The award winning film THE END OF THE LINE by Rupert Murray had me sitting at the edge of my seat ' and swallowing back the tears.
It was hoped that the presence of the Zambian antelope would be a lifeline for the survival of the giant sable, described as critically endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species. It was feared that the giant sable had completely died out in the wild because of the effects of the Angolan civil war.
'Congratulations to South Africa's seafood consumers. By insisting on sustainably harvested fish and seafood you are significantly driving change.' This is the message from Dr Samantha Petersen, project manager of the Green Trust-supported Sustainable Fisheries Programme.
The first Saturday of September every year is observed as International Vulture Awareness day by the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Birds of Prey Programme (EWT-BoPP), its partners and associates including provincial conservation bodies and several other NGOs involved in vulture research and conservation in South Africa.
