insert_link Lifestyle Migrating animals face collapsing numbers – major new UN report By Joseph Ogutu, University of Hohenheim The world’s travelling animals – marine turtles, whales, sharks, elephants, reptiles, wild cats, birds, and even insects – have entered a period of sharp decline, new research has found. The first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report, released today by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, showed that the conservation status of […] today13 February, 2024
insert_link Africa Livelihoods at stake as Lake Victoria’s papyrus swamps come under pressure: Photos By Patrick Newcombe, via MongaBay The papyrus swamps at the edges of Lake Victoria in East Africa have for generations provided a livelihood to communities living here. While some harvest reeds to make into mats, baskets, and handicrafts, others catch the plentiful fish that nurse in the shelter of the reedbeds. The swamps are also home to birds that have become specialized to live amidst the papyrus reeds in a […] today7 February, 2024
insert_link Africa Madagascar: giant tortoises have returned 600 years after they were wiped out By Grant Joseph, University of Cape Town A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600 years. The first group of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) were brought in from the Seychelles in 2018, and have been reproducing on their own since. Ecologist Grant Joseph explains how reintroducing […] today5 February, 2024
insert_link Environment Africa’s savannah elephants: small ‘fortress’ parks aren’t the answer – they need room to roam By Celesté Maré, Aarhus University and Robert A.R. Guldemond, University of Pretoria Africa is home to about 410,000 savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana), most of them living in southern Africa. Over 290,000 elephants (70%) are spread across 103 protected areas which vary in size, connectivity and protection. In a recent research paper we explored how elephant populations across southern Africa performed under different conservation approaches. This work formed part of […] today26 January, 2024
insert_link Business / Economics Lessons from Finland’s attempt to transition to a circular economy Tracegrow, a Finnish company, uses recycled batteries and industrial waste to create agricultural fertilizers. A number of companies are innovating to increase circular solutions. At the national level, however, experts underline that great challenges remain to advance circularity. Image courtesy of Tracegrow. By Sean Mowbray via MongaBay In 2016, Finland became the first country in the world to adopt a national circular economy road map, with the ambition to become a […] today24 January, 2024
Environment South Africa’s Agulhas long-billed lark: adapting and surviving despite farming taking over their nesting grounds By Robert Leslie Thomson, University of Cape Town The Agulhas long-billed lark (Certhilauda brevirostris) is only found in South Africa. It builds nests on the ground mainly in Renosterveld fynbos, a type of vegetation filled with grasses and wild spring flowers that is critically endangered by agricultural expansion. The University of Cape Town’s FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology recently published the first study into the nesting practices of […] today23 January, 2024
