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 […]

January 23, 2024 13

Local

Namibian Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) emphasizes conservation and sustainability at 49th annual general meeting

The Namibian Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) held its 49 th Annual General Meeting on the 6 th and 7th December 2023 in Windhoek at Arebbush Travel Lodge. It was also the first time that NAPHA hosted a small trade exhibition and the proceeds gathered from our annual fundraiser auction exceeded our expectations. NAPHA would like to thank all its sponsors and, of course, the bidders for supporting our organisation. […]

December 14, 2023 70

Africa

Africa’s rich biodiversity offers a wealth of carbon offset projects for Gulf investors

By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency Africa is a prime target for new multimillion-dollar carbon offset projects as companies increasingly seek to blunt the effects of their carbon footprints. In September, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced plans to shell out US$450 million to secure carbon credits from various carbon offset initiatives on the continent. Already, carbon offset firms are snapping up new deals. Eco Netix, a measurement, reporting […]

December 12, 2023 8

Africa

African dinosaurs and the sixth mass extinction

“It’s really important that we realise we need to take better care of the planet, otherwise we’ll also go the way of the dinosaur,” said Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, palaeobiologist and professor at the University of Cape Town. She was speaking at GroundUp’s final Science for the People seminar for the year, hosted at Bertha House in Cape Town on Friday 1 December. Chinsamy-Turan has a species of Sabre-toothed cat named after her. The topic of […]

December 5, 2023 12

Environment

Why understanding limits is the key to humanity’s future

Illustration by Kelsey King By Richard Heinberg, @richardheinberg via Ensia We need to view limits not as restrictions to be fought against, but as boundaries that enable systems to work. Recent news articles about a breakthrough in nuclear fusion research heralded the potential for “limitless” energy. Whenever I read that word limitless I wince. The promise of limitlessness is misleading and sometimes deadly. Limits exist everywhere in nature. They enable the functioning of systems […]

November 29, 2023 9

Africa

Growing African vegetables on buildings can save space and feed cities – new study

The Eco Green Wall is an example of a sustainable living wall system. Karen Botes Karen Botes, University of Pretoria As cities grow, more people need food. However, space for farming is limited in cities. Building facades can offer a solution for growing food. We asked landscape architect Karen Botes to tell us about her research – cultivating traditional African vegetables on walls. What are ‘living wall systems’ and why […]

November 6, 2023 5

biodiversity