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Mail & Guardian

Habitat Loss

latest news & developments
Qualified bird handlers fitting a satellite tracking device to a Curlew Sandpiper. Photo: BirdLife South Africa
AFRICA EURASIAN FLYWAY

Tiny birds, vast journeys: Inside SA’s first shorebird tracking project

BirdLife South Africa launches its first tracking project for migratory shorebirds, revealing complex journeys and new conservation priorities across the Africa–Eurasian flyway

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
Freshwater fish, sharks, rays, endemic plants and iconic mammals are among the country’s fastest-declining species, as invasive species, reduced freshwater flows and pollution intensify. (Wikimedia Commons)
CLIMATE CHANGE SOUTH AFRICA

Illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and climate stress driving rapid biodiversity decline in SA

Freshwater fish, sharks, rays, endemic plants and iconic mammals are among the country’s fastest-declining species, as invasive species, reduced freshwater flows and pollution…

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
There are far more African forest elephants than conservationists previously thought — not because the critically endangered species is recovering, but because scientists are now able to count them more accurately.
AFRICAN CONSERVATION

DNA surveys reveal far more African forest elephants than previously known

A new IUCN report shows African forest elephants are more numerous than previously believed, not due to recovery, but thanks to groundbreaking DNA-based surveys that have…

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
From Arctic shorebirds to Amazon river dolphins, migratory species are facing unprecedented risks from climate change, habitat fragmentation and environmental shifts
AMAZON RIVER DOLPHINS

Rising temperatures and extreme weather endanger wildlife migration

From Arctic shorebirds to Amazon river dolphins, migratory species are facing unprecedented risks from climate change, habitat fragmentation and environmental shifts

  • Sheree Bega
3 min read
Stranded birds, Robert Kigongo
BIODIVERSITY DESTRUCTION

Kampala’s tree felling is endangering egrets and biodiversity

Infrastructure development in Uganda’s capital should not destroy habitats and green spaces

  • Robert Kigongo
3 min read
A male lion on the lookout for prey at the Shamwari Private Game Reserve on November 3, 2022 near the town of Paterson in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images
AFRICAN LION

Extinction stalks Africa’s lions

The carnivores have lost about 36% of their range in the past two decades

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
The planet is becoming increasingly hostile for wildlife, with new research indicating a 69% decline in populations worldwide.
CONSERVATION

Living Planet Index: Wildlife populations have declined by 69% since 1970

The index warns that if the world breaches the 1.5°C global warming threshold, the climate crises will be the prevalent reason for biodiversity loss

  • Lesego Chepape
3 min read
Balance: Elephants are found in 37 African countries, including Kenya. But the herds and their habitats are threatened and people remain divided over how to protect them. (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)
AFRICAN ELEPHANT SPECIALIST GROUP

Poaching is wiping out Africa’s elephants

Forest elephants are on the brink of extinction and savanna elephants are now classified as endangered

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
BEES
Video

Our destiny depends on the survival of insects

Habitat destruction, the use of pesticides and climate change is driving the rapid decline of these tiny creatures

  • Sheree Bega
12 min read