Africa’s conservation heroes were celebrated at the prestigious 2022 African Conservation Awards at the African Rangers Congress in Botswana on Saturday, 17th September. The awards are an annual celebration to honour the courageous men and women who are committed to protecting Africa’s natural spaces and in doing so raise awareness of the critical and diverse […]

About 60 volunteers from Fisantekraal and surrounding communities rolled up their sleeves on Saturday to remove waste from the river which flows into the Mosselbank River. The clean up, organised by the Mosselbank River Conservation Team, marked World Clean-Up Day in Greenville. The Mosselbank team tackle environmental issues in the Greenville and Fisantekraal communities, said […]

These wildlife heroes will be celebrated at an award ceremony at the African Ranger Congress. This year, the announcement of the winners of the prestigious African Conservation Awards will coincide with the African Ranger Congress, hosted by the Game Rangers Association of Africa in Kasane, Botswana on the 17th September. Each organisation and individual that […]

The court has put a stop to the seismic survey along the Wild Coast. By Tania Broughton. The High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell along the Wild Coast were unlawful. The judges said there was “no meaningful consultation” with interested and affected parties prior to the award […]

Why are we here? Are we alone? How did it all begin? Last Christmas the James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space on a 10-year mission to help find those answers. The size of a school bus, Webb is the successor to the legendary Hubble Space Telescope. Six times larger and a hundred times […]

Earlier this month, as part of the newly established Babanango Game Reserve rewilding journey, two male cheetah were released onto the 19 000 hectare property in a conservation milestone for the species and the reserve. This is the first time in approximately 200 years that this iconic predator would have roamed the spectacular landscape of […]

In honour of World Ranger Day, which took place on the 31st July, nominations have opened for the 2022 African Conservation Awards.  This is 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 […]

Near a roaring train line and informal market in Gugulethu in the Western Cape, South Africa, the unexpected sound of bees buzzing can be heard from a nearby high school. But these are not wild bees. They belong to Vuyo Myoli, who has set himself up with a small urban beekeeping business. “I’m a farmer […]

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment has released proposed regulations for onshore oil and gas exploration and production, including the use of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)… which has raised concern for South Africans who have fought against fracking. “The scale and magnitude of drilling and fracking operations have proven to be beyond the grasp of […]

The University of Stirling yesterday bestowed a well-deserved honorary doctorate on South African (and British) endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh. Lewis said on social media: « This year marks my 35th year of endurance swimming and ocean advocacy. So I’m especially delighted to be receiving (this) honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling ????????‍? » He gave a […]

Mineral Sands Resources has prevented legal action, at least for now, over its West Coast operations. By John Yeld. Australian company Mineral Sands Resources (MSR) has agreed to take measures to improve the environmental impact of its West Coast operation. MSR must also motivate for the environment minister to commission an environmental assessment of the […]

Khayelitsha residents shelter in churches after non-stop rain. Hundreds need blankets and food as they are cold and hungry. By Vincent Lali (See PHOTOS and VIDEO below.) Hundreds of people have abandoned their homes after heavy rains in Cape Town. Dozens of residents of RR section of Khayelitsha have taken refuge in local churches. Community […]

“We should look like Namaqualand in the spring but because everything has been destroyed, it isn’t like that anymore.”… By Liezl Human Volunteers and conservation activists got down in the dirt to rescue about 300 critically endangered Renosterveld plants from the side of Jip De Jager road in Bellville, Cape Town. According to the City […]

UN Climate Change News – This year’s Bonn annual UN Climate Change Conference kicked off today, designed to lay the groundwork for success at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Governments are meeting for the first time since the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow last November, at which the operational details of […]

The High Court in Gqeberha, South Africa, will today [Monday] hear arguments in an application by environmental groups, local communities and small-scale fishers to review and set aside the decision by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to award a seismic exploration right to Shell. A bench of three judges in the High Court […]

Astronomers have revealed the first image of the black hole at the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The image was produced by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, an international team made up of over 300 scientists on five continents – including Africa. Black holes were predicted by Albert Einstein’s General Theory of […]

At simultaneous press conferences around the world on Thursday (12 May), including at the Wits Planetarium at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, astronomers have unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. This means we now have overwhelming evidence that the object is indeed […]

On May 12, 2022, astronomers on the Event Horizon Telescope team released an image of a black hole called Sagittarius A* that lies at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Chris Impey, an astronomer at the University of Arizona, explains how the team (which included two scientists from Wits!) got this image and why […]

In less than 40 days, two of the most critical dams that supply Nelson Mandela Bay with water will be empty, leaving a third of the Metro without water… facing a Day Zero situation similar to that which Cape Town experienced a couple of years ago. The Churchill and Impofu dams, currently at a combined […]

Rapid urbanisation and government failure to deliver adequate housing are among the driving forces behind the proliferation of informal settlements across South African cities and towns. These informal settlements are notorious for their perilous and unhealthy conditions. This has been sharply illustrated in recent flooding in Ethekwini (Durban), the port city in KwaZulu-Natal province, and […]

Most parts of South Africa, specifically its summer rainfall areas, have received above-average rainfall since October 2021. This has led to an increase in the country’s national average water levels. The total percentage of water stored in reservoirs nationally rose from 84.6% in mid-December 2021 to 88.7% at the end of the year. By mid-March […]

Cameron Lombard, who made his debut as Strictly Come Dancing’s youngest ever pro dancer last year, has filmed a rousing new video, Peace Don’t Go, in support of peace for the people of Ukraine. Filmed in the township of Siqalo, in Cape Town – illuminated with bright flares of yellow and blue – Cameron leads […]

Having won over TV critics around the world, Raised by Wolves – which was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa – is now also being praised for pioneering a more sustainable approach to filmmaking. The production recently received a Gold Environmental Media Association Seal for Sustainability. (See details below of how SA production company Film Afrika […]

A court in South Africa has confirmed the constitutional right of the country’s citizens to an environment that isn’t harmful to their health. This includes the right to clean air, as exposure to air pollution affects human health. Air pollution also affects land and water systems and decreases agricultural yields. The case, referred to as […]

CapeNature ranger Hilton Bocks bends down to point out a tiny succulent, one of many spread over the stony plains of the Knersvlakte Nature Reserve on the West Coast. The pebbles crunch under our shoes as we walk around. “This one is endemic,” says Bocks. “It’s young. I’m guessing five to six years. They take […]