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Mail & Guardian
world wildlife fundlatest news & developments
Africa’s ecosystems now run on less than two-thirds of their historical energy, with the decline of elephants, lions, and rhinos reshaping landscapes and livelihoods
BIODIVERSITY

Wildlife populations plummet 73% in past 50 years

South Africa has ambitious plans to protect biodiversity This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to…

  • Sheree Bega
1 min read
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has reluctantly decided to dehorn its rhinos after KwaZulu-Natal lost 325 rhinos since 2023, the majority of them to poaching.
AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife resorts to dehorning rhinos to limit poaching

Most of the 325 rhinos that died in KwaZulu-Natal were a result of poaching the animals for their horns

  • Umamah Bakharia
2 min read
Balancing act: Human-wildlife conflict occurs when populations expand and one management tool is hunting, which also raises income for locals in Zambia. Photo: Alexander Joe/Getty Images
BOTSWANA

British trophy hunting ban bill will harm African wildlife

UK politicians reject a management approach involving sustainably harvesting excessive populations so that carrying capacities of ecosystems are not exceeded

  • Emmanuel Koro
4 min read
A woman pushes a sack containing recycled plastic bottles past an area where plastic waste is being used to reclaim a swamp so that the land can be developed for housing in the Mosafejo area of Lagos on February 12, 2019. – Nigeria, which elects a new president on February 16, is Africa’s most populous nation and leading oil producer but is dogged by poverty and insecurity. (Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP)
EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY

Africa needs to beat plastic pollution, says WWF

The focus on waste, which is the end of the plastic life cycle, means that the root causes of plastic pollution are not addressed

  • Tunicia Phillips
3 min read
Protected: The Berg River Estuary on South Africa’s West Coast. (Dewald Kirsten)
2022 WORLD WETLANDS DAY

Western Cape wetland gets new environmental protection

The Berg River Estuary has been declared South Africa’s 28th Ramsar site, yet 79% of the country’s wetlands remain threatened and 48% are critically endangered

  • Tunicia Phillips
3 min read
Denuded: The Amazonia rainforest in Brazil. The Amazon Basin absorbs large amounts of CO2 emissions. Photo: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images
AMAZON RAINFOREST

Reforestation boosts planet’s green lungs

A new study shows the past 20 years of forest regeneration and reforestation efforts globally have contributed to the restoration of carbon sinks

  • Tunicia Phillips
4 min read
Informal waste pickers are responsible for processing more than 80% of South Africa’s recycled materials, which is an extraordinary contribution to the economy and environment. Photo: Mark Lewis
AFRICAN RECLAIMERS ORGANISATION

Waste pickers should be seen as essential workers

Come rain or sun, waste pickers push their trolleys full of recycled material. But despite providing an environmental service they are not treated as the public-service workers…

  • Musawenkosi Cabe
8 min read
Industrialised nations often ship their waste to poorer countries under the premise of recyclability, fuelling industries that harm local populations
ANGELO LOUW

Plastic pollution a huge threat to marginalised groups, UN report finds

Industrialised nations often ship their waste to poorer countries under the premise of recyclability, fuelling industries that harm local populations

  • Chris Gilili
4 min read
BASS
Video

South Africa’s freshwater fish face extinction

A third of our freshwater fish are dying out due to climate change and invasive species.

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
(Paul Botes/M&G)
ABANDONED NETS

Ghost fishing gear an ‘immortal menace’ in oceans

Lost and illegal tackle is threatening marine life and the lives of people making a living from the sea

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
Cheetah cubs rescued in Somaliland, which is on the trafficking route from East Africa to countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are cared for at a centre in Hargeisa set up by Namibia’s Cheetah Conservation Fund.(Laura Orozco)
CHEETAH

Somalia’s cheetah smuggling ring

Africa’s big cats are being trafficked to rich households in the Middle East who want ‘something more exotic’

  • Louise Redvers
8 min read
Mkhwebane’s 2017 report, which separately recommended a review of the Reserve Bank mandate, caused market jitters with a R1.3-billion sell-off in government bonds, according to Hofmeyr’s submission. (Madelene Cronje/M&G)
ACTIVISM

World Wildlife Fund uses fake Singapore ivory store in awareness campaign

The outlet called Ivory Lane purportedly offered items including earrings and necklaces for sale and had a well-produced website

  • Agency
2 min read
Hong Kong seizes record haul of rhino horns
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

Hong Kong seizes record haul of rhino horns

Hong Kong customs officers have seized a record 33 rhino horns along with ivory chopsticks and bracelets hidden in a container shipped from SA.

  • Staff Reporter
2 min read
Over 340 rhino killed in SA this year
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS

Over 340 rhino killed in SA this year, says WWF

The number of rhinos poached in South Africa has reached a record high, with 341 of the endangered animals killed this year alone, the WWF says.

  • Staff Reporter
3 min read
The scimitar-horned oryx
ENVIRONMENT

On the brink

Figures that estimate 25% of mammals are endangered are likely to be conservative, writes Ian Sample.

  • Ian Sample
4 min read
EBRAHIM RASOOL

Essop’s climate change

Leonie Joubert chats to former provincial environment minister Tasneem Essop after her sudden departure from politics .

  • Leonie Joubert
4 min read
CARBON EMISSIONS

Taxing hot air

Cabinet is backing a radical new tax policy to combat climate change, writes Kevin Davie.

  • Kevin Davie
5 min read