insert_link Environment ‘No end in sight’ for potential of conservation tech: Q&A with Megan Owen By Abhishyant Kidangoor via MongaBay For the past seven years, the conservation technology lab at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has been working to develop and deploy technology that can automate the collection and processing of wildlife data. Running a tech lab in a zoo has the benefit of providing scientists with a setting where they can use the wildlife in their care to validate the data and calibrate […] todayJanuary 9, 2024 10
insert_link Environment Namibia records decrease in Rhino poaching Namibia has recorded a decrease in Rhino poaching however, the Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, on Monday, in his end-of-year statement, said that poaching remains an issue, despite the recorded decrease over the year 2023. According to Shifeta, 48 rhinos were poached in 2023 compared to 92 in the previous year, while eight elephants were poached in 2023, compared to four in 2022. Meanwhile, the Namibia Press […] todayDecember 19, 2023 7
insert_link Environment Environment Ministry flags increase in Pangolin trafficking The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has confiscated 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins, and 146 pangolin scales from September to November this year. This resulted in 23 criminal cases, with 38 suspects arrested, surpassing combined cases for elephants and rhinos. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says the majority of incidents took place in the northern regions of the country. todayDecember 19, 2023 7
insert_link Environment MEFT records confiscation of 18 pangolin skins The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has recorded a total of 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins and 146 pangolin scales that were confiscated between September and November this year. This is according to the ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, who in a press statement on Monday said as a result 23 criminal cases have been registered and 38 suspects arrested. These numbers, Muyunda said surpass that of […] todayDecember 19, 2023 6
insert_link Business / Economics In reversal, Mexico calls for moratorium on international deep-sea mining By Elizabeth Claire Alberts via Mongabay Creature of the deep sea. Image by NOAA. On Nov. 21, Mexico became the latest nation to call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters. Before this announcement, some Mexican delegates to the International Seabed Authority, the UN-associated body tasked with regulating the activity, had expressed support for fast-tracking mining rules that would enable mining to start. This announcement came two weeks […] todayNovember 29, 2023 7
insert_link Africa Congo’s waters are hotspot for endangered sharks & rays, reveals data from artisanal fishers By Molly Herring via Mongabay An African wedgefish (Rhynchobatus luebberti) landed by artisanal fishermen and sold in Songolo (Critically Endangered, IUCN Red List). Credit: Godefroy De Bruyne A new shark census off the coast of the Republic of the Congo relied on hard-earned trust between researchers and artisanal fishermen. The team found endangered sharks and rays on potential nursery grounds, including juveniles and two species thought to be gone from the […] todayNovember 29, 2023 15
insert_link Environment Silent Extinction: Giraffe Reveal Stunning Genetic Diversity and Urgent Need for Conservation Giraffe numbers in Africa have dropped significantly in the last 35 years and latest estimates by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) have their numbers at only 117,000 animals in the wild. This means that there is only one giraffe for every four elephant remaining in Africa. This rather perturbing situation is exacerbated by the recent understanding that there are four distinct species of giraffe and not only one as previously […] todayOctober 23, 2023 4
insert_link Environment Lion protection fee paid by tourists could help stop trophy hunting – South African study Neil D’Cruze, University of Oxford; Angie Elwin, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Herbert Ntuli, University of Pretoria Trophy hunting is contentious. It typically involves paying for and pursuing a specific wild animal, often a large or iconic species, with the goal of killing it to obtain a trophy, such as the animal’s head, horns, or hide. Popular public opinion is largely in favour of ending the killing of wild animals for […] todayOctober 23, 2023 4
