Conservation Watch
Accolades flow for courageous game rangers
The work of exceptionally courageous game rangers comes under the spotlight at the 2020 Rhino Conservation Awards, writes Fred Kockott.
Farmers still shudder at harm caused by DDT
But today’s no-till agriculture repairs the land
Hope takes flight as birds set free
The rehabilitation and release of three poisoned vultures is celebrated as threats to the species’ survival escalate, writes Will Western One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but the release of three critically endangered vultures really is reason to cheer, say conservationists. The African white-backed vultures had been nursed back to health after eating from a poisoned carcass set for them, experts believe, by muthi traders. It was one of four separate poisoning incidents in Zululand last year, said Chris Kelly,
Involving more people in the ‘wild economy’ will make the world a better place
For too long, we’ve got it wrong when it comes to conservation. Fortunately some, especially the young, are pointing us in the right direction, writes Francois du Toit Young black South Africans are challenging the way we look at our planet and how best to use its natural resources. A new generation on the continent and elsewhere are questioning the way we do things, including deeply ingrained racial bias. Merlyn Nomsa Nkomo, an aspirant ornithologist and Conservation Biology Masters student
The Achilles Heel of Conservation
Black communities lived in harmony with nature centuries before parks were created as “fortresses to protect nature” – an issue many conservationists choose to ignore, writes Merlyn Nomusa Nkomo.
HIGH STAKES AT SOMKHELE
Mine expansion row puts lives on the line
Shootings, threats and other violence have ratcheted up tensions in Somkhele where a mine extension has exposed deep fault lines in a poor community. Fred Kockott and Matthew Hattingh report
Awards to acknowledge ‘wild warriors’
Rangers working amid critical resource shortages are among ‘wild warriors’ nominated for the 2020 Rhino Conservation Awards, writes Laura du Toit
Fallen rangers: Deadly militia attack in Virunga
Twelve rangers have fallen victim to senseless killings in Africa’s oldest national park. Fred Kockott reports FREE TO REPUBLISH (see terms below) Virunga National Park officials say 17 people were killed in a sustained attack not far from the park’s headquarters. Armed rebel groups involved in poaching and illegal charcoal production are believed to be responsible. Virunga National Park was closed for 8 months from May 2018 following a spate of attacks on visitors by armed groups. Twelve rangers and
Twinkle, twinkle little lights: South Coast conservancies show the way
A firefly sanctuary – the first of its kind in Africa and one of only four in the world – has been launched on the lower South Coast. Fred Kockott reports.
Laughter better medicine than Greta, says SA comic
Greta Thunberg, the teen green activist, would win more people to her cause if she cracked a few jokes, says actor
