SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Apr

14

2022

Africa’s large aquatic animals are being hunted and traded: we assessed the scale

SUSTAINABILITY

ACROSS most of the world, and particularly in the tropics and subtropics, large wild aquatic animals – such as manatees, turtles and dolphins – are being hunted and traded. This is not a new phenomenon. Aquatic animal meat has been eaten, and sometimes used as remedies or in traditional ceremonies, throughout history. This type of consumption is widespread. In some places, this wild meat is an important source of nutrition, income, and cultural identity. Yet opportunities to exploit wildlife for economic gain – often illegally – increase the number of animals hunted in some places. Coupled with growing human populations,…

Apr

07

2022

By The African Mirror

How legal hunting supports African rhino conservation

SUSTAINABILITY

WHILE the UK government has been considering a ban on imports of hunting trophies, the South African government recently approved an annual maximum quota of ten legal trophy hunts of endangered black rhinos for 2022. South Africa has permitted white rhino hunts, without quota limits, since 1972. The South African government’s approval of this year’s quota is consistent with previous approvals since legal black rhino hunts started in 2005. Approval for hunting is given only when specific individual animals to be hunted meet a set of criteria established by a scientific rhino management group. Author MICHAEL 'T SAS-ROLFES, Oxford Martin…

Apr

05

2022

By The African Mirror

‘It’s our sun’: Rural South Africans seek greater gains from clean energy

SUSTAINABILITY

KIM HARRISBERG THE grassy greens and browns of South Africa's semi-desert Karoo region are fast becoming dotted with flashes of silver and white, as solar and wind farms spring up across the vast, sun-soaked land in Northern Cape province. But nearby communities - where unemployment and drug-use are a persistent problem - say that even as profits trickle into their towns, more can be done to distribute fairly the benefits from the renewable energy they believe belongs to them. "There was excitement when we saw the (solar) panels being built," said Rose Bailey, a social worker in De Aar, a…

Apr

05

2022

By The African Mirror

Rangers concerned deep water port could threaten Congo’s sea turtles

SUSTAINABILITY

HEREWARD HOLLAND EACH year Christian Ndombe and other park rangers scour the beaches of Democratic Republic of Congo's vanishing coastline for turtle nests, bringing the eggs to a hatching centre where they are incubated for eight weeks. Rising sea levels and erosion have consumed almost a quarter of the turtle's nesting grounds, the rangers estimate. Now a new concern is emerging in the form of a port, which the government says will bring jobs and lower the cost of imports, but that rangers worry will further endanger them. "The problem we have at the moment is that to really protect…

Mar

31

2022

By The African Mirror

Why Nigeria’s electricity grid collapses and how to shore it up

SUSTAINABILITY

NIGERIA'S national electricity grid has collapsed more than 200 times in the last nine years, regularly resulting in widespread blackouts. The power outages, which prevent people from meeting routine business and household needs, result in huge economic and social costs. In sub-Saharan Africa, every 1% increase in power outages (in terms of hours) has been associated with a 2.86% decrease in gross domestic product (GDP). This translates to a loss of about US$28 billion in GDP. Authors NNAEMEKA VINCENT EMODI, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland OGHENERUONA E. DIEMUODEKE, Senior Lecturer, University of Port Harcourt There are also health risks…

Mar

31

2022

By The African Mirror

Madagascans stave off encroaching dunes with plants

SUSTAINABILITY

CHRISTOPHE VAN DER PERRE and ALKIS KONSTANTIDINIS FIELDS, homes, wells and tombs were gradually being buried under shifting sand dunes on this windswept stretch of Madagascar's southern coastline until the local community fought back, armed only with plants and elbow grease. After years of painstaking planting by hundreds of local volunteers, 36 hectares of dunes have been stabilised by long lines of plants that trap moisture in the ground and stop the relentless wind from blowing the sand further inland. The World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations agency, provided most of the plants as part of a project to…

Mar

28

2022

By The African Mirror

Groundwater: A resource to strengthen Africa’s drought defences

SUSTAINABILITY

CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY AFRICA has an ‘abundance’ of groundwater - enough to transform the region’s food baskets and adequately meet the safe drinking and hygiene needs of most households. According to a new analysis by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and WaterAid researchers, which also indicates the resource could be a buffer to climate change-induced droughts, most African countries could survive at least five years of drought on water reserves beneath rocks and soil and in aquifers. “Contrary to popular belief, our findings confirm that Africa isn’t running out of water. On a national level, most countries in…

Mar

25

2022

By The African Mirror

Discovering the forest wonders of Africa – and the threats they face

SUSTAINABILITY

AFRICA'S forests are some of the natural wonders of the world. As someone who has spent decades studying the ecology and management of tropical forests, I’m constantly amazed by the unique forest ecosystems on the continent. Author ROBERT NASI, Director General, Centre for International Forestry Research Some of them are most likely unknown to the public at large, yet so fascinating and important to face our world’s current biodiversity and climate challenges. Starting in the north-west and ending in the south-east, I’d like to share the ones that are special to me. This is a totally personal choice; others would…

Mar

15

2022

By The African Mirror

A first for large African mammals: DNA used to count Gabon’s endangered forest elephants

SUSTAINABILITY

ACROSS the African continent the populations of both species of African elephants – forest and savanna – have been declining due to habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict. Author FIONA MAISELS, Wildlife Conservation Society, African Elephant Specialist Group (IUCN) and Honorary Professor, University of Stirling Forest elephants are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “Critically Endangered” – a category for species that have declined over 80% within three generations. And it has listed savanna elephants as “Endangered” – indicating a decline of over 50% within three generations. But there remains some areas where there is both…

Mar

14

2022

By The African Mirror

The woman brokering peace between elephants and humans

SUSTAINABILITY

VITALIO ANGULA, BIRD STORY AGENCY DR Audrey Delsink has always been saddened by the plight of animals at the hands of humans. However, her interest in elephants started later on in her career. Upon completion of her graduate studies, she worked as a field guide and game ranger at Manyeleti Game Reserve, south of the Kruger National Park in South Africa where she crossed paths with elephants who were not used to vehicles and people. “I was actually very scared of elephants but when I moved to another private game reserve, much smaller than Manyeleti, I encountered a completely different…