Environment

The fascinating secrets of plant reproduction that scientists are still uncovering

The anthers are where pollen is produced. The Camera Dad By John Doonan, Aberystwyth University and Maurice Bosch, Aberystwyth University You might think flowers don’t have much choice about who they mate with, given they are rooted to the ground and can’t move. But when scientists from Nagoya, Japan used powerful microscopes to study the fertilisation process, they were surprised to find the female part of a flowering […]

10 September, 2024

Africa

Mysterious African manatees inspire a growing chorus of champions

By Petro Kotzé, via Mongabay As a young student, Aristide Kamla had “big plans” when he traveled to Lake Ossa in Cameroon to conduct his master’s degree fieldwork with the little-known African manatee. He was hoping for a manatee count and a management plan to come out of the expedition on the roughly 4,000-hectare (10,000-acre) lake. But securing grants was difficult for this budding researcher, so his first funder […]

10 September, 2024

Environment

The Environmental Investment Fund and NORED Launch Solar Mini-Grid Project in Puros Under TIDRET Initiative

The Environmental Investment Fund and the Northern Electricity Distributor have agreed to build a 300kV solar mini-grid in Puros, Kunene Region says The Brief. This initiative, part of the Towards an Inclusive Design of the Renewable Energy Transition project, will supply energy to 164 households and around 500 people. Scheduled to start in October 2024 and finish in about six months, NORED will oversee the plant and implement a social […]

29 August, 2024

Africa

Uganda police detain 21 activists over oil protest

Police in Uganda have detained 21 environmental activists for demonstrating against ongoing oil developments in the west of the country. The campaigners argue the multi-billion-dollar oil project will have dire consequences for the local communities and the environment. Michael Baleke reports from Kampala. News Central Africa reports Total Energies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation are conducting drilling activities in Lake Albert. The lake is believed to hold […]

27 August, 2024

Africa

DRC adds new investor to power its deepwater port ambitions

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency The Port of Banana project, a deepwater project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has gained fresh momentum with the addition of a new investor, sparking renewed optimism for the port's long-awaited completion. The British International Investment has committed up to US$35 million alongside DP World for the strategic project expected to become a key driver of trade and economic […]

22 August, 2024

Africa

Sierra Leone’s women farmers use a custom called bora to access land – but it’s making them more vulnerable

By Bankolay Theodore Turay, University of Lagos Bora – a type of thank you gift – is a Sierra Leonean custom of respect that is often used in relation to land. For instance, informal farmers pay bora to landowners to be able to farm on their land. But bora has changed over the years and is having a negative impact on women, who are responsible for much of […]

21 August, 2024

Environment

Climate change is a challenge for small-scale farmers – how a mix of old and new techniques produced a superior maize harvest in a dry part of South Africa

By Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso, North-West University and Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, North-West University New research into rural small-scale farms in South Africa’s North West province has found that climate-smart farming techniques lead to a better maize yield, a more regular supply of food for the farmers, and a wider variety of crops. Small-scale farmers often produce primarily for their own consumption, but many also sell produce in local […]

20 August, 2024

Environment

Reforestation to capture carbon could be done much more cheaply, study says

By Liz Kimbrough, via Mongabay Trees are allies in the struggle against climate change, and regrowing forests to capture carbon may be cheaper than we thought. According to new research published in Nature Climate Change, a strategic mix of natural regrowth and tree planting could be the most cost-effective way to capture carbon. Researchers analyzed reforestation projects in 138 low- and middle-income countries to compare the costs of different […]

15 August, 2024

Environment

At-risk groups in Indonesia demand greater say in climate policymaking

By Hans Nicholas Jong, via Mongabay Civil society groups and communities most affected by the effects of climate change are calling on the Indonesian government to include them in the decision-making process of climate policies. Groups such as those representing the urban poor and the disabled say they haven’t been meaningfully involved in the process, particularly the drafting of Indonesia’s revised goals and commitments for reducing greenhouse gas […]

15 August, 2024