location: South Africa

location: South Africa

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South Africa’s new gold rush: Spekboom restoration speeds up, but it’s a bumpy road, insiders report
- A unique approach to ecosystem restoration in South Africa — repairing exhausted farmlands through the mass planting of an endemic drought-tolerant succulent called spekboom — is receiving global attention as one new entrant gets an injection of $91 million to dramatically increase its plantings.
- This financing will contribute toward the goal of planting more than 300 million spekboom (Portulacaria afra) cuttings, funded by investors through global carbon markets.
- Smaller restoration projects have blazed a trail until now, helping to improve planting and land management methods to get maximum plant survival, bush recovery and, ultimately, carbon credit returns.
- Plant survival rates through the next five planting seasons will dictate how well farmlands recover in coming decades, whether they deliver on the carbon drawdown expectations, and whether investors get their returns. But Mongabay’s investigation finds that things may be getting off to a rocky start.

‘You can’t protect what you don’t know:’ Interview with marine scientist Loyiso Dunga
- The Great African Seaforest is one of the only expanding kelp forests in the world. To better understand this important ecosystem, and why it should be conserved, marine biologist Loyiso Dunga set out to map the entire forest for the first time ever in 2016 using satellite imagery.
- Dunga now works on kelp forest conservation across the globe with both the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Kelp Forest Alliance.
- As a member of an Indigenous community in South Africa, Dunga is sensitive to how conservation measures were employed during the country’s apartheid-era to expel coastal communities, and makes sure that other scientists include coastal communities in their work.
- “There is so much knowledge that is documented within coastal communities but is outside of science,” Dunga says. “I try to spend a lot of time understanding that, which also enriches my science.”

South Africa’s new gold rush: Big money, high stakes in emerging spekboom restoration sector
- After decades of livestock pressure, 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of farmland in South Africa’s Albany thicket biome need rehabilitation — the way a burn victim needs lifesaving skin grafts.
- Carbon finance seems the most likely source of funding, kickstarting the process with the mass planting of an endemic drought-tolerant succulent called spekboom (Portulacaria afra).
- Until now, restoration projects have been artisanal, but that’s changed with a $91 million loan to a new entrant and tech giant Amazon throwing its hat into the ring.
- A flush of new funding shows growing faith in a business model for ecosystem restoration, but there’s concern that if projects grow too fast and promise more carbon dioxide drawdown than the emerging science can account for, it could leave projects on shaky ground.

In South Africa, renewable energy latest part of timber industry’s green efforts
- A 10-year agreement provides York Timber Holdings with access to renewable electricity “at scale,” an official with the timber company said.
- The agreement will reduce the sawmill’s greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing its exposure to electricity tariff hikes and potential future carbon-based costs, according to the company.
- “Renewable energy is just one element of sustainability. Responsible management of plantations, conservation of biodiversity and water stewardship are just as important,” a forestry specialist said.

In Spain & South Africa, communities use restoration to ‘grow’ fire insurance (commentary)
- Managing fire as a part of restoring ecosystems is vital to protecting both communities and economies from disaster: While fire is a natural part of many ecosystems, when forests are poorly managed they become fuel reservoirs just waiting for a spark.
- Spain’s Muga Valley and South Africa’s Langkloof share such a management history but are now pivoting to ecosystem restoration to protect communities, economies and biodiversity.
- “It is the health of the landscape that will determine whether fire acts as a force of connection or destruction. The choice, in effect, is whether we leave that risk unmanaged, or begin to build insurance into the land itself,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.

A deadly cross over: In South Africa, rabies moves from land animals to seals
- Cape Town, South Africa, has recorded 135 incidents of aggressive seal behavior toward humans since September 2021, including injuries that led to hospitalizations.
- Researchers suspect the cause is rabies, a disease normally associated with land animals but has leapt to Cape fur seals.
- Since May 2024, rabies cases have been confirmed in Cape fur seals along the Western Cape and Northern Cape coastlines of South Africa — the first time the virus has established itself in a marine mammal population anywhere in the world.
- Beyond attacks on humans, researchers worry whether the disease will spread to other marine mammals, as seals interact with different species.

South Africa’s top court blocks Shell oil exploration off country’s Wild Coast
In a landmark judgment on Aug. 14, South Africa’s Constitutional Court set aside exploration rights held by oil giant Shell and Impact Africa, a South African oil and gas company. The ruling prevents the companies from exploring for fossil fuels off South Africa’s Wild Coast. The case was brought by Wild Coast communities and environmental […]
Steve Smit, South Africa’s “Monkey Man,” has died
- Steve Smit, known in KwaZulu-Natal as the “Monkey Man,” spent three decades rescuing and rehabilitating vervet monkeys and other urban wildlife.
- Before becoming a full-time rescuer, he spent roughly 25 years in South Africa’s intelligence services and helped build the country’s early animal-rights movement.
- Through FALCON, Justice for Animals, and later Monkey Helpline, he challenged elephant culling, wildlife trade, vivisection, and other practices he believed sacrificed individual animals.
- Smit, who died on August 12 at 70, became known for an uncompromising defense of animals that many people regarded as common, troublesome, or expendable.

South Africa school uses cattle dung to generate biogas for cooking meals
Women preparing meals for more than 1,000 students at Tiyani Secondary School in South Africa’s Limpopo province no longer rely only on firewood. Instead, much of the cooking is powered by biogas generated from cattle dung collected from Tiyani village. This community-led project could reduce pressure on forests while cutting greenhouse gas emissions, experts say. […]
Documentary captures impacts of diamond mining along South Africa’s West Coast
- A documentary explores the legacy of mining along South Africa West Coast and its impacts on coastal ecosystems and the local population.
- The West Coast, an area stretching 450 kilometers up to the Namibian border, has historically been a hotspot for diamond mining.
- Out of Mined features the voices of the Indigenous Nama peoples, fishing communities and conservationists who live with the long-term impacts of the extractive industries.
- The region is now facing a new wave of mining applications, mostly targeting heavy minerals.

World Ranger Day: Justice for the protectors of the wild
July 31 is World Ranger Day, which celebrates the work rangers do for the natural world and commemorates those killed or injured in the line of duty. Among them was Anton Mzimba, head ranger at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa, where he had served for 25 years. On July 26, 2022, Mzimba was […]
‘The shape of the land will change:’ South African villages resist heavy sands mine
- Communities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape are opposing a proposed heavy mineral sands mine that a South African company wants permission to operate day and night for 30 years on their communal land.
- They say the land targeted for mining is far from unused, supporting more than a 1,000 cattle, traditional medicine gathering, tourism and facilitates access to the coast and fishing.
- The villagers say that if the mine goes ahead, it will damage livelihoods, ancestral graves, biodiversity and water resources.
- The planned mine could also impact their long-running campaign to acquire commercial seaweed harvesting permits and an existing small-scale sand mining business run by a village committee.

Tiny trackers reveal where migratory shorebirds need protection across Africa
- For the first time in South Africa, scientists monitored the migrations of 23 small wading birds from the country’s west coast as they embarked on a migration to the Arctic tundra, uncovering stopover sites they say could benefit from protection.
- In February 2026, the researchers captured 23 birds in Western Cape province and tagged them with tiny satellite transmitters to followed their movements, tracing different routes across Africa.
- Six of the birds have since reached their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra, while six stayed in Africa, and eight stopped transmitting.
- The research project, a collaboration between BirdLife South Africa and other partners, is helping to shed light on the routes the birds take, and inform conservation action.

Like ‘climbing Kilimanjaro’ without help: Interview with a Limpopo conservationist
- In South Africa’s Limpopo province, one man, Tshilidzi Mulugana, spearheaded a community project to educate youth about conservation and replant indigenous trees.
- The project received some initial funding, which lasted a few months; despite current financial constraints, Mulugana and his wife continue the push to change the way local residents view trees.
- He says some community members make a living from cutting and selling firewood, and many people are not interested in conservation without compensation; meanwhile, repeated floods have washed away trees and vegetation.
- Mulugana spoke with Mongabay about the challenges he and his wife face in running a community conservation effort on their own.

South Africa’s free-roaming cheetahs in steep decline, first national census finds
- The first thorough census of free-roaming cheetahs in South Africa finds less than 100 mature adult individuals, much less than previous estimates.
- The researchers confirmed cheetahs in less than half of what is currently defined as suitable habitat by the IUCN and called for the adjustment of habitat maps based on current field data.
- The biggest threats are habitat fragmentation due to development and infrastructure, and persecution by landowners who perceive cheetahs as threats to their livestock.

Gus Mills, hyena expert and ‘the cheerful pessimist of the Kalahari’, has died
- Gus Mills spent more than four decades studying hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs, and other African carnivores.
- After struggling in school, he found his vocation in field biology and began long-term research in the Kalahari in 1972.
- His work challenged common misconceptions about hyenas and showed the value of patient observation, public participation, and ecosystem-based management.
- Even after retiring from SANParks, he returned to the Kalahari for a six-year cheetah study that involved 7,000 hours of observation.

Desert rain frogs threatened with extinction in southern Africa
The survival of a unique frog species that lives in the coastal sand dunes of South Africa and Namibia is under threat from diamond mining, the proposed Boegoebaai Green Hydrogen Project and climate change. The desert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) has been moved to a higher threat category, from near threatened to vulnerable, on the […]
Sightings off Southern Africa suggest blue and fin whales may be rebounding
Sightings of blue whales and fin whales off Southern Africa’s Atlantic coast have increased in recent years, according to a newly published study. This could signal recovery of the marine mammals after being virtually eliminated from the area by commercial whaling in the 20th century, the study authors say. Scientists estimate around 350,000 Antarctic blue […]
Failed promises to clean air in South Africa’s coal belt take toll on public health
- South Africa’s coal belt produces more than half of the country’s electricity, but people who live in the shadow of the power stations and mines suffer from a range of health issues linked to pollution from these facilities.
- Despite being declared a priority area for tackling air pollution nearly 20 years ago, residents and campaigners here say little has improved.
- Research by the South African Medical Research Council linked pollutants like PM 10 and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) to increased mortality risk, sinus problems, tuberculosis, asthma and other lung and respiratory issues among residents of the Highveld Priority Area, named for its high altitude.
- Activists are taking legal action to compel the government and industrial players to improve emission standards, enforce them fully and to do away with exemptions.

Rodent-killing baits threaten small wild cats and other wildlife
- Anticoagulant rodenticides — used to control rodent populations — pose a little-recognized threat to a host of wildlife species, including wild cats.
- Many small cat species hunt rodents and live in areas where rat poison is commonly used, including agricultural lands. These anticoagulant poisons accumulate in the liver and can prove lethal: It takes days for animals to die from internal bleeding.
- Widespread exposure in bobcats and caracals is well-documented, however research on other small cat species is limited — but concerning.
- Wildlife biologists say that greater controls limiting the use and availability of rodenticides are needed to protect wildlife.

South African authorities thwart smuggling of 150 venomous scorpions, arrest man
- South African authorities arrested a 28-year-old man with 150 venomous scorpions in his bag at Cape Town airport.
- The intelligence-led operation followed a tip-off on his movements. He allegedly smuggled the scorpions from the wild and faces wildlife trafficking charges. The investigation is ongoing.
- Scorpion venom is highly prized for use in biomedical research and the beauty industry. They are also kept as pets by collectors of rare and venomous arachnids.
- The arrest and seizure highlight the growing trade in scorpions and spiders, as conservationists call for increased protections for these arachnids under an international wildlife trade treaty, CITES.

In South Africa, a village learns to live with baboons — but it may be the exception
- A baboon troop regularly forages in the scrubland in and around the village of Rooiels, on the outskirts of the Cape Town metropolitan area.
- In neighboring villages, municipal workers fire paintball guns and blow trumpets to drive baboons out, but most Rooiels residents are opposed to having their troop monitored or harassed.
- Rooiels residents have developed — and accepted — guidelines to reduce conflict, including securing their waste, baboon-proofing their doors and windows, and educating each other on how to respond during encounters.
- Cape Town’s scientific lead for baboon management says education and collaboration has allowed baboons to coexist with their human neighbors here, but that this model may be specific to this location.

Two pangolin traffickers in South Africa sentenced to eight years in prison
The Molopo Regional Court in Mahikeng, South Africa, sentenced two wildlife traffickers, Edward Motlatsi Phiri, 46, and Tlhoriso France Ralph, 51, to eight years in prison. They were convicted of smuggling a Temminck’s pangolin, a vulnerable species native to Southern and Eastern Africa, according to a statement released by the North West province’s environment agency. […]
South Africa’s move away from coal marred by legacy of abandoned mines: Report
- A new report has found that none of the 412 coal mines that closed down between 2006 and 2023 in South Africa had set aside rehabilitation funds to restore damaged land and waterways.
- Environmental groups warn that abandoned coal mines are leaving behind contaminated water, radioactive waste, and polluted landscapes that could harm communities for decades.
- The report says weak enforcement allows mining companies to walk away from environmental damage, leaving taxpayers and mining communities to carry the cost.

Whale strike risk rises as international shipping reroutes around South Africa
- In a new study, researchers analyzed the link between increased shipping traffic in South African waters and collisions between whales and ships.
- The research covers six whale species occurring in near- and offshore waters and shows significant spatial overlap between whale habitats and shipping traffic, making action urgent.
- The South African government, the International Maritime Organization and scientists are working together to develop measures aimed at reducing whale strikes.
- Currently, rerouting vessel traffic is not possible as too much data are missing to map the spatial distribution of whales that occur farther offshore.

Rhino-poaching suspect, repeatedly freed on bail, shot dead in South Africa
- Alleged rhino-poaching kingpin Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalungu was shot dead by unknown assailants on May 16 near South Africa’s Kruger National Park, following a failed attempt on his life eight days earlier.
- Nyalungu, a former police officer, faced more than 40 counts of rhino horn trafficking from 2016-2019 alone, and was allegedly responsible for killing thousands of rhinos in South Africa’s Greater Kruger Area.
- He had been arrested multiple times, dating back to at least 2011, and faced charges related to murder, kidnapping, money laundering and unlawful possession of firearms and explosives used in poaching — though he was never convicted and was released on bail each time.
- Conservationists say the country’s justice system failed to effectively prosecute him and call for reforms in the country’s laws to save the remaining rhinos from poaching.

South Africa declares natural disaster as flooding kills at least 10
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 10 people are dead with many homes destroyed in flooding caused by torrential rains across six provinces in South Africa that have hit informal settlements especially hard. South African authorities have declared a natural disaster for the flooding, thunderstorms, high winds and even snowfall that have affected parts of the Western Cape, […]
From Africa to Central Asia, the European roller’s migration builds relationships
- The European roller breeds in open woodlands across Europe and Central Asia and migrates as far as 10,000 kilometers to Africa each year.
- Since 2024, a nascent project of BirdLife South has been investigating the birds’ migration routes and stopover sites.
- The European Roller Monitoring Project aims to identify valuable or vulnerable habitat and build the international relationships that can support the protection of this and other species.

The value of South Africa’s wildlife shouldn’t be in the hands of wealthy foreign hunters (commentary)
- The latest statistics on South Africa’s professional (“trophy”) hunting industry reveal a large increase in animals hunted, with numbers set to rise in coming years, under the logic that the revenue generated is necessary for managing wildlife.
- But should the conservation of the nation’s wildlife, which have their own roles in natural ecosystems, depend on their ability to generate an enormous income for a select group of wealthy farmers and professional hunters, a new op-ed asks.
- “When conservation is built on the premise that wildlife must pay its way to exist, we should ask not only who benefits, but what is being lost, and at whose expense,” the author writes.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Restoring land with wildlife & earning carbon credits in the Kalahari Desert
In northern South Africa, the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the Kalahari Desert is teeming with life — and carbon credits. Most carbon credit projects are focused on forests, but globally, soils hold roughly three times more terrestrial carbon than forests. Some scientists also say soil is more stable since it can’t be easily removed in […]
Little-known company targets South African biodiversity hotspot for mining
- South Africa’s remote, semiarid Northern Cape province risks environmental damage by an inexperienced mining company that wants to prospect for the minerals critical for the renewable energy sector.
- Environmentalists have drawn attention to the “exceptionally poor” impact assessment studies, suggesting a lack of planning and consideration that heightens the risk of impacts on the environment and local communities.
- The potential impacts include groundwater contamination in a water-scarce region and the risk of radioactive dust polluting the soil and water sources.
- The company that’s applied to prospect seven tracts of land in the province only registered as a business in 2023 and has no public track record as a mining company.

How much does a penguin weigh?
The African penguins are the only species of penguins in Africa. However, they are critically endangered due to shortage of food. Sardines and anchovies form a big part of their diet. Due to rising ocean temperatures, pollution and overfishing, fish stocks have massively declined in recent decades. As a result, African penguins are struggling to […]
Chinese court cases reveal most trafficked rhino horns come from Southern Africa
- A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency analyzed more than 250 rhino horn trafficking cases prosecuted in China between 2013 and 2025 to understand smuggling routes and trends within the country.
- Chinese courts have convicted more than 500 traffickers, who received an average of 4.5 years in prison and fines of about 92,322 yuan ($13,540). Most rhino horns smuggled into China came from South Africa and Mozambique, entering by land across the border from Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.
- Rhino horns are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, but most court cases involved sculpted rhino horns and trinkets sold in antique and curio shops. About one-third of consumers were in big cities: Beijing, Jiangsu and Shanghai.
- Unrelenting demand for rhino horns, along with attempts by Southern African countries to open legal trade in stockpiled horns, could make it challenging to fight trafficking, as poaching decimates rhino populations across their African and Asian ranges.

A campaign to protect one of the planet’s only expanding kelp forests takes shape
- Stretching more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) along the coast of South Africa, the Great African Seaforest is home to thousands of species, many of them endemic, and is one of the few expanding kelp forests in the world.
- The Academy Award-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher” was set in the Great African Seaforest.
- Although slivers of the kelp forest fall under marine protected areas, the ecosystem is mostly not conserved.
- Marine scientists are working to inventory the species found here in the hopes of raising its profile, both internationally and among the communities that live alongside it on the South African coast.

A South African reserve shows how carbon can catalyze rewilding conservation
- Managers have spent decades expanding Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in South Africa to its present 118,000-hectare (292,000-acre) size and bringing native species to the former livestock rangelands that have been incorporated into the reserve.
- In addition to providing a home for wildlife species at the high-end safari reserve, Tswalu is also measuring the impact on soil carbon stores in the dry savanna ecosystem.
- Research has shown that careful application of rewilding can potentially bring carbon benefits, effectively addressing biodiversity loss and climate change together, though the results depend on contexts and the complex dynamics of soil ecosystems.
- Tswalu has begun selling carbon credits, which it says will help fund continued conservation on the reserve.

Investigation of permit violations in South Africa’s shark fishery pending
- In June 2025, South African authorities fined a shark fishing vessel caught violating its permit conditions.
- It is not the first time the country’s small shark fishery has made headlines, including for breaches of conditions by fishing in protected areas and illegally cutting heads and fins off of its catch, preventing effective monitoring.
- In October, the fisheries department said it would consider further action; no updates have been made public, but satellite data suggest the Zanette has fished inside a marine protected areas on at least four occasions since then.

Another legal challenge for TotalEnergies in South Africa
In August 2025, a South African court canceled an environmental authorization granted to French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies and its joint venture partner Shell to drill offshore exploration wells. Now TotalEnergies is facing fresh legal challenges in South Africa for another proposed project. March 23 and 24, the Western Cape High Court is hearing […]
Glyphosate found in South African baby cereal; watchdog group calls for ban
In February, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) released a report documenting concentrations of glyphosate in wheat and maize that exceeded default maximum residue limits. ACB also found traces of the herbicide in bread and baby cereal. “Finding glyphosate in baby cereal was very disturbing. Babies are the most vulnerable. It shouldn’t be there. We […]
South Africa endorses treaty to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050
South Africa has endorsed the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050, joining 33 other countries that signed the nonbinding pledge during the United Nations climate summit in Dubai in 2023. Tsakane Khambane, spokesperson for South Africa’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy, told Mongabay via email that the move marks a “significant moment” beyond […]
Proposed shark net near Club Med resort in South Africa sparks conservation clash
- A proposal by municipal authorities in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province to install shark nets at a public beach has triggered a public debate about the need to install gear that’s highly lethal to sharks and other marine life, and raised questions about its legality.
- The proposal, which authorities say will protect beachgoers from shark attacks, was made in anticipation of increased visitor numbers to Tinley Manor Beach once a new Club Med resort opens in the area later this year.
- Some scientists and environmentalists argue that shark nets and drum lines are outdated as they cull and kill nontarget species indiscriminately, including those protected under South African law.
- South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said it’s considering whether installing the net should trigger an environmental impact assessment. Some experts also question the legality of existing nets.

Displaced for conservation, South Africa’s Thonga try to keep a fishing tradition alive
- A Thonga community on South Africa’s northeast coast is the custodian of a centuries-old fishing custom and its ecological knowledge with a light touch on migrating juvenile fishes.
- These fishers have limited access to their ancestral lands and lakes now, since they were evicted when the region was declared a protected area four decades ago, which later became the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
- Three generations of fishermen talk about how they’re trying to keep the culture alive in a fast-changing world.
- The park’s management authority says they are inclusive of communities in public participation processes while officials promise that tourism would be the most viable development boost for the area.

Africa’s vulture safe zones face tough test across vast landscapes
- Vulture safe zones have multiplied across Southern Africa to address the numerous threats facing these scavengers.
- The vulture safe zone concept originated in Asia as a response to the drastic decline in the region’s vulture populations due to diclofenac poisoning.
- Opinions are mixed on their effectiveness to address the multitude of threats facing species in Africa.
- In the coming months, conservation organizations are aiming to streamline the concept in Africa, with the aim of standardizing how these safe zones operate and monitor populations, and ultimately how they protect threatened species.

Southern elephant seals recover in Southern Africa, but global picture is mixed
- The southern elephant seal’s conservation status in South Africa has improved from near threatened to least concern, with experts citing four decades without major threats to its breeding colonies on Marion and Prince Edward islands.
- About 5,500 seals are estimated across the two islands, with nearly 1,400 pups recorded in 2023; strong legal protections and marine protected area status have supported recovery.
- Scientists caution that the causes of a sharp population decline in the late 20th century remain poorly understood, with possible links to food availability, climate change and oceanographic shifts.
- While South Africa’s population is recovering, other southern elephant seal populations face threats, including a devastating bird flu outbreak in Argentina, prompting debate about the species’ global conservation status.

UN recognition is latest boost to restoring spekboom across South Africa’s semidesert Karoo
- Since 2004, the South African government has been working to restore spekboom thickets in a semiarid region of the country.
- This biome, anchored by the hardy, carbon-sequestering spekboom plant, has been massively degraded by two centuries of expanding farming and livestock herding.
- That long arc of conversion of thicket landscapes to farm and rangeland is now dying, as overgrazing, climate change and shifting markets for agricultural products take their toll.
- Dozens of private operators have joined the government in trying to restore this biome’s original thicket cover, attracted by the potential for income from carbon credits.

Citizen science rediscovers rare South African moth
- Citizen scientists in South Africa have rediscovered an emerald-green moth that’s been missing for nearly one-and-a-half centuries.
- A dozen male moths had their photographs posted online from 2020 to 2023, providing proof-of-life for Drepanogynis insciata.
- Until now, scientists only knew of the moth from illustrations and two faded specimens, collected around 1875 in the Western Cape town of Swellendam, and kept in London’s Natural History Museum.
- Experts say websites like iNaturalist provide many additional eyes and a virtual workforce to produce the treasure trove of information aiding rediscoveries like this one.

Unidentified oil washes up on South African beaches
A mysterious oil spill is raising concern among South African conservationists and coastal communities. On Jan. 22, reports started emerging of congealed oil washing up on South Africa’s southeast coast, stretching from George to Durban, some 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) away. Several beaches closed due to the pollution. Citizen networks are monitoring more than 20 […]
After intense flooding, Kruger National Park rushes to repair damage
In mid-January, intense flooding across South Africa’s Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces forced Kruger National Park to briefly close to day visitors. Now, South African National Parks (SANParks) says it has reopened some roads and camp infrastructure. “Restoration efforts are ongoing, and visitor safety remains our highest priority,” the agency wrote in a Feb. 2 update. […]
South Africa’s great white shark population worries researchers
Great white shark populations in South Africa are disappearing, driven largely by human activities that are likely responsible for the collapse of a locally critical apex predator. That’s the conclusion of a review paper published by a group of scientists and conservationists who analyzed data on the abundance of great whites in South African waters. […]
Photos: Kew Gardens’ top 10 newly named plants and fungi for 2025
- Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, formally named 125 plants and 65 fungi in 2025, including a zombie fungus that parasitizes Brazilian spiders, a bloodstained orchid from Ecuador, and a fire-colored shrub named after a Studio Ghibli character.
- Up to three out of four undescribed plant species are already threatened with extinction, with at least one species described this year possibly already extinct in its native Cameroon habitat.
- An estimated 100,000 plant species and between 2 million and 3 million fungal species remain to be described and formally named by science.
- Many newly described species face immediate threats from habitat loss, illegal collection and climate change, highlighting the urgent need to protect areas before species disappear.

Helping Cape Town’s toads cross the road: Interview with Andrew Turner
- Endangered western leopard toads have lost habitat to urban development in Cape Town, and crossing roads during breeding season adds another danger: getting “squished.”
- Mongabay interviewed Andrew Turner, scientific manager for CapeNature, who discussed underpasses to help the toads safely reach their destinations: ponds for mating and laying eggs.
- Citizen science offers a useful data source, as volunteers record and photograph the toads they help cross the road; “It’s hard for scientists and researchers to be everywhere, but citizenry is everywhere,” Turner says.

William Bond, grasslands researcher who reminded conservation that context matters, has died
- William Bond spent his career challenging the assumption that forests are nature’s default state, arguing that grasslands and savannas are ancient ecosystems shaped by fire, grazing, and long evolutionary history.
- As enthusiasm for mass tree planting grew, he became a leading critic of blanket afforestation, warning that well-intentioned climate policies could damage biodiversity, water systems, and carbon stores when applied without context.
- His research emphasized scale and evidence, showing that trees do not universally increase rainfall, replenish rivers, or solve climate change, and that soils and open landscapes often matter more than slogans suggest.
- By insisting that conservation begin with understanding how landscapes actually function, he forced policymakers and scientists alike to slow down, look closer, and accept that complexity is not an obstacle but a necessity.

Cape Town’s new plan for baboons: Fence, capture and possibly euthanize
Authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, have released an updated baboon action plan aimed at reducing conflict between people and baboons, which regularly enter urban areas in search of food. The plan, which includes euthanasia of some baboons, has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups. The plan says the population of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) […]
New study splits giraffe experts on future wild captures for zoos
- Hybridization of captive giraffes in North American zoos may impact conservation, given the recent scientific consensus that giraffes are four distinct species, not a single species as previously thought.
- The study recommends international collaboration in future breeding programs, in which giraffes would be captured from the wild in Africa and moved to North American zoos to essentially start a captive-breeding program of genetically pure individuals.
- But giraffe conservationists say the study’s recommendations would be detrimental to wild conservation, arguing that capturing giraffes for zoos would deplete wild populations.

South Africa considers site near African penguin colony for third nuclear power plant
South African state electricity company Eskom is reevaluating two sites to host the country’s third nuclear power plant, having previously dismissed both for an earlier facility. The two potential sites are Thyspunt, on the Eastern Cape coast, and Bantamsklip, near Dyer Island in the Western Cape, home to a significant, but declining colony of critically […]
South Africa withdraws abalone listing even as illegal trade threatens species
- Ahead of the recent CITES summit to hash out wildlife trade regulations, South Africa was expected to table a proposal that would have tightened the legal trade in South African abalone, a shellfish in high demand in East Asia.
- The proposal was aimed at protecting an endangered species that’s been severely depleted by a massive illegal trade driven largely by organized crime.
- However, the South African delegation withdrew the proposal at the last minute, amid ongoing tensions in the country between conservationists, abalone farmers and coastal communities dependent on income from the illegal trade.
- A recent report by wildlife trade NGO TRAFFIC calls for coordinated international action to curb the illegal trade, including a CITES listing.

Botanists decode secret life of rare plants to ensure reintroduction success
- Working with South African daisies, Colombian magnolias and Philippine coffee trees, botanists the world over are discovering the secrets to bringing extremely rare and threatened plants back from the brink of extinction. Reintroductions are often the only way to build back thriving populations, but scientists face numerous hurdles.
- A major barrier is lack of botanical knowledge about rare species, making it hard to produce sufficient viable seeds, determine triggers for germination, and identify suitable seedling habitat. If seeds aren’t available from rare plants, botanists must use cuttings to propagate plants.
- Newly established plant populations often need help in the face of numerous threats. Climate change, for example, can not only create harsh new growing conditions but also fuels the spread of plant pests. Young plants frequently need to be protected from human activities like poaching, intentional burning or land-use change.
- While it can take decades for reintroduced plants to grow into sustainable, self-replenishing populations, project funding is often limited to three years or less, especially in the Global South. Experts say they hope funding will increase as recognition grows that ecosystem restoration requires plant diversity, including rare species.

Lesotho communities allege greenwashing by project transferring water to South Africa
- The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a scheme to transfer water from Lesotho’s river systems to neighboring South Africa, also aims to provide hydropower to Lesotho’s people.
- However, complainants from communities impacted and displaced by the complex of dams, water channels, feeder roads, and bridges accuse the developers of promoting the LHWP as a climate mitigation project and ignoring its impacts on their livelihoods and the environment, and call it “greenwashing.”
- The project is degrading the environment, polluting water streams used by residents, destroying cultivable land used to grow food crops, eating into forests, and reducing access to pastures, according to the complaint filed with the African Development Bank (AfDB), which is partly financing the LHWP.
- “We are not just being denied benefits from the project, we are suffering harm from it,” the complaint says.

South Africa to lift fracking moratorium in Karoo Basin, despite concerns
South Africa plans to lift a 13-year moratorium on shale gas exploration in the ecologically sensitive Karoo Basin, despite serious environmental and climate concerns raised by advocacy groups. In 2011, the government imposed a ban on hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo, a semidesert region spanning more than 400,000 square kilometers (154,000 square miles) across northern […]
Radioactive rhinos (cartoon)
South Africa’s rhinos now have an unlikely superpower: radioactivity! Scientists working on the Rhisotope Project inject the horns of live rhinos with a radioactive isotope. This is harmless to the rhinos, but makes smuggled horns easy to detect during customs inspections with the hope of deterring rhinoceros poaching.
Coal-dependent South Africa struggles to make just energy transition real
- Communities in South Africa’s coal-mining towns say there’s little sign of a clean energy transition on the ground, where they complain of persistent pollution and violence toward activists.
- A metalworkers’ union leader who sits on South Africa’s climate commission says the transition is racing forward, outpacing new jobs promised to mine workers.
- A mine operator says coal is a critical element in producing renewable energy infrastructure.

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