Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
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South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane, is struggling to raise chicks in parts of the Western Cape
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

SA’s national bird faces “ecological trap” in Western Cape wheatlands

A new study has warned of a sharp drop in blue crane chicks in Overberg and Swartland

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
The aardvark — long considered relatively secure — has been moved from least concern to near threatened, reflecting growing pressures on its habitat. (Anamilia)
BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Aardvarks, bats and mole-rats among mammal species sliding towards regional extinction

New data shows habitat loss and degradation are pushing mammals closer to extinction — with endemic species facing the greatest risk

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
The theme for World Wildlife Day on 3 March is ‘Connecting people and planet: Exploring digital innovation in wildlife conservation’. (Photo by: Mark Conlin/VW PICS/UIG via Getty Image)
AFRICAN WILDLIFE ECONOMY INSTITUTE

Use of wild species should benefit people but how to achieve sustainable, safe and legal use is unclear

The theme for World Wildlife Day on 3 March is ‘Connecting people and planet: Exploring digital innovation in wildlife conservation’

  • Francis Vorhies
  • Wiseman Ndlovu
6 min read
In danger: The giant monitor lizard, called the Komodo dragon, is found in the wild only in the Komodo National Park’s islands in Indonesia. (Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
CLIMATE CHANGE

Earth’s last ‘dragons’ under threat from climate change

The world’s largest monitor lizard has moved up the red list for threatened species, with fewer than 4 000 of the species left

  • Tunicia Phillips
2 min read
Elegant: Blue cranes return to the Overberg each year but climate change may affect their ability to breed. Photo: Marco Valentini/Biosphoto/AFP
ALAN LEE

Climate crisis a threat to bird species

Changes in agriculture will affect blue cranes and heat stress will harm Cape rockjumpers that are already found at higher altitudes

  • Sheree Bega
3 min read