Less than a 10th of all the plastic ever made has been recycled, and governments should consider banning or taxing single-use bags or food containers to stem a tide of pollution, a U.N. report said on Tuesday, U.N. World Environment Day. The study, billed as the most comprehensive review of government action to curb single-use […]

We all know that South Africa’s native Strelitzia is commonly called a ‘bird of paradise’… but turns out most of us have been looking at it wrong! A regular Reddit user, Charmito, posted the following pic and caption a few days ago, saying: “I’m 37 years old, and just today realized it’s called bird of […]

Two South African women – Makoma Lekalakala and Liziwe Mcdaid – have won the most prestigious environmental award in the world… for taking on the State, and stopping a proposed nuclear deal in its tracks. The winners of the international Goldman Prize were announced on 23 April 2018. Tonight, current affairs programme Carte Blanche will profile […]

Heavy rainfall in the past month (and even some good rain over Cape Town last night) has brought relief in most parts of South Africa, according to the Department of Water and Sanitation. In its weekly report yesterday, the Department said that the average dam levels have increased from 80.6% last week to 81.8% this […]

The Kalahari has been drenched in beautiful showers of wet, wonderful rain. The dry and arid soil, and vegetation, has soaked up the water and transformed the barren desert into a luscious green visual feast. ‎Local resident Pieter Kotzé, who works at Kalahari Rangers farm (formerly Mc Carthy’s Rest) on the Northern Cape border with […]

One of the most mind-blowing things about South Africa is its wildlife… writes Phil Maloney. Have you ever watched the National Geographic channel on TV? It’s like that, but with the added thrill of getting malaria (for real – if you go to the Kruger Park, take malaria medication). There are kabillions (rough estimate – […]

In February 2017, the city of Cape Town in South Africa was declared to be in a water crisis, and it was predicted it would become the first major city in the world to run out of water. DAY ZERO was looming, and coming closer if residents used too much water… It had all the […]

Capetonians are celebrating the news that Day Zero has been pushed back to 4 June 2018, as a result of the lowest daily consumption average yet of 529 million litres a day for the past week. Well done Cape Town!!! But as these photos – taken by Byron Martin on Sunday – show, more needs to be […]

While Capetonians awoke to a slightly overcast day, there is the promise that the latest Cold Front is going to start showering the region with much-welcomed rain later today, filling some of the Western Cape’s parched dams which have been drying up during its worst drought in recorded history. “Here comes thaaat Cape Town front […]

A South African woman has been seriously injured in an attack by a male leopard at Matopi 1 Camp on the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Unusually, she was inside her tent when the attack took place. This account of the attack was posted on 4x4community.co.za forum: On the night of the 4th of January my […]

It is summer time in the southern hemisphere and locals and tourists are flocking to the coast to enjoy the sunshine, salt air and some of the best beaches this part of the world has to offer. In southern Africa it’s also the time when great white sharks migrate closer to Cape Town’s shore to […]

Just after some South African streets – particularly in Pretoria – famously turn purple with Jacaranda petals, there’s a fabulously flamboyant flush of red flowers that are less well known. These are are Delonix regia… known in English as Royal Poinciana trees… or, quite aptly, Flamboyant trees! Fortunately Ria Viljoen in Pretoria and Sheryn Nader in […]

One of the world’s largest collaborative science projects is about to enter its most exciting year yet. This will see researchers in a remote stretch of South Africa’s Karoo testing Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity; imaging neutral hydrogen – the building blocks for stars – in the distant universe; and examining galaxies that were formed […]

For the fourth consecutive year, South Africa is taking part in the (truly) Global March for Elephants, Rhinos and Lions… to raise awareness for our endangered iconic wildlife, writes Megan Carr, VP Social Media, GMFER. The Global March for Elephants and Rhinos (GMFER) is an entirely volunteer based, grassroots activist US-registered non-profit organisation. The theme […]

From the poles to the equator, marine mammals such as seals, dolphins and whales, play an important role in global ecosystems as apex predators, ecosystem engineers and even organic ocean fertilisers. The ocean off the coast of South Africa is home to a high diversity of these mammals and is recognised as a global marine biodiversity hotspot. Marine […]

A freak hail storm in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, on Tuesday night, has allegedly caused millions of rands worth of damage to the farming community… as big winds and large hail struck the region in South Africa suddenly, destroying between 80% and 100% of crops in some cases. Witnesses told Letaba Herald that the storm came out […]

Presenter Bonné de Bod, along with fellow filmmaker Susan Scott, was granted exclusive access to the 2017 Rhino Census, which took place in the Kruger Park recently. De Bod and Scott, who have been working on the highly anticipated anti-poaching rhino feature documentary STROOP, due for release in early 2018, were delighted with this opportunity as it was […]

Government has allocated R74 million in relief funding to respond to the persistent drought in the Western Cape. “South Africa is a water-stressed country and the persistent drought conditions in parts of the country are a reminder to all people to save every drop by using water wisely and sparingly,” a statement released by Cabinet […]

Spring sprang early in South Africa this year, as evidenced by these fabulous fields of blooming wild flowers, captured in the West Coast National Park two weekends ago… photographed by NIGEL RILEY, ALAN RUDNICKI and ROBYN GWILT. It’s not exactly a wild flower… but it is a ‘wild animal’ in the Park… Posberg is looking […]

Private rhino horn owner John Hume recently held South Africa’s first online rhino horn auction, a major event in the ongoing fight by private rhino owners to be able to sell legal horn stocks But in a statement released on Hume’s behalf it was admitted that there were very few bidders for the 264 horns. The […]

For years many international organizations have worked tirelessly in Vietnam and China to discourage the use of Rhino horn. They have invested time, energy and millions of dollars in their educational programs… writes MEGAN CARR. “In one foul greedy swoop rhino farmer John Hume and the PROA group with the assistance of the South African […]

Last winter the question on everyone’s lips was “Where are the whales?”… The number of southern right whales visiting our shores has been lower than average for a few years now and in 2016 appeared to be way down even from the previous year. This was confirmed by the official count from the Mammal Research Institute […]

It’s out with the polar bear pictures and in with more varied images that represent climate change around the globe as it impacts on humans… as new research shows that the polar bear photos are no longer representative enough of the crisis facing all corners of the planet. According to research by Climate Outreach, while […]

A new wildlife organisation has launched with the ambitious aim of saving every single surviving rhino or elephant victim of poaching. It’s called The Now or Never African Wildlife Trust (NNAWT)… and it has search giant Google on its side! NNAWT brings together key players – with extensive experience and contacts – in the war on poaching, […]

Humans like to think that they rule the planet and are hard wired to do so. But our stewardship has been anything but successful. The last major extinction event, 66 million years ago, was caused by a meteorite. But the next mass extinction event, which is under way right now, is our fault. Geologists have […]