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An oak tree infested (left) with the invasive shot hole borer will eventually die.
BEETLE

Invasive beetle fells mighty oaks

The trees were first introduced to South Africa in 1656 and have become cultural icons

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
For islands to qualify as suitable for penguins, they needed to offer protection from land-based predators and had to be surrounded by suitable foraging grounds for sardine and anchovy within a 20km radius. Supplied
AFRICAN PENGUINS

African penguin population decline began 20 000 years ago – study

Rising sea levels since the last Ice Age forced them to ‘island hop’ or move to the mainland, which presents an opportunity for their surviva

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
Photo: Getty Images
AFFORESTATION

Climate expert: Scandal that Africa gets so little research funding

Scientist Guy Midgley calls for action on avoiding a climate disaster from an African perspective

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
Fulani herders lead their livestock to a water point in Dolly on May 30, 2020. – Dolly is a pastoral reserve where Fulani pastoralists can come as a refuge before heading back North as the first rains fall. COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions have closed down markets and regional movement, as a result Fulani herders are struggling to move to areas such as Dolly which have more grazing land and access to water. (JOHN WESSELS / AFP)
BIODIVERSITY

The services nature provides are at risk in a hot world

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report documents hundreds of species that are now extinct

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Survival: It took quiver trees about 18 000 years to shift to their current location in southern Namibia and the Northern Cape. Now they must move 15 times faster. Photo: Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics/Getty Images
CLIMATE CHANGE

Quiver trees must get on the move to escape human-caused climate change

Trees are most vulnerable to human-caused climate change because they can’t migrate fast enough to survive

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Despite the country’s globally significant biodiversity, ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and marine environments are under escalating pressure.
30X30 PLAN

Kunming Declaration on biodiversity: A show of political will that lacks targets

More than 100 countries pledged to better protect nature at UN biodiversity talks last week

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Despite the country’s globally significant biodiversity, ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and marine environments are under escalating pressure.
AFFORESTATION

Tackle climate change and biodiversity loss together, not separately, scientists say

Some climate adaptation and mitigation projects end up harming the natural environment and people, a new report warns

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
BIODIVERSITY

Climate change threatens survival of endemic species the most

If Earth warms by 3°C, a third of species living on land and about half of endemic marine species will become extinct

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read