www.ewt.org.za

WWF (International and SA)

www.wwf.org.za/

Stop Rhino Poaching

www.stoprhinopoaching.com

Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust

http://www.pilanesbergwildlifetrust.co.za/projects/anti_poaching_fund.html

Jacaranda 94.2

www.jacarandafm.com

Wildlands Project Rhino (Wildlands Conservation Trust)

http://www.wildlands.co.za/home.aspx

Ian Player

www.ianplayer.com

Woolworths My Planet

www.woolworths.co.za

Rights for Rhinos (Game Rangers Association)

http://rightsforrhinos.co.za/

LeadSA\RAGe

www.leadsa.co.za

WESSA

www.wessa.org.za

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

www.kznwildlife.com

Magqubu Ntombela Foundation

www.mnf.org.za

Wildlife Act Fund

www.wildlifeact.com

SANParks

www.sanparks.org

Rhodis

http://web.up.ac.za/default.asp?ipkCategoryID=11671

ACT – African Conservation Trust (Skydive for rhinos)

http://www.projectafrica.com/

Upcoming 50|50 Episode 39, Monday 16 January 2011

1) Endangered Dugongs

This is a story of a large sanguine, sea grass-eating mammal and the inter-connectedness of life and the impact we human beings are having on our planet and each other. It is also a story of a dream of committed people; one that remains tantalisingly close but is a long way from being fulfilled. Mozambique’s Dugongs are under severe threat from habitat encroachment, gill netting and hunting. Artisanal fishermen are blamed for the demise of the dugong population off Mozambique’s coast. However, a small population of around 120 Dugong have been assessed in the Bazaruto Archipelago and the EWT in conjunction with other concerned individuals is attempting to implement a program to save the Bazaruto population. Although Dugongs have recently been protected in Mozambique, over-fishing, illegal fishing, gill netting and environmental encroachment are decimating the population and it will not be long before this Dugong population too will be gone forever.

Note – a Dugong is a huge supply of meat for an island family. There are few resources available to the authorities to patrol and “police” the area to protect the Dugong, and it would take money, effort, commitment and people to save this fragile population. Dead Dugongs are found in the Bazaruto area every two or three months. The Bazaruto Archipelago is a microcosm of the bigger picture, facing planet Earth. Big business finds resources to exploit and this brings entrepreneurs who find business opportunities. Both offer employment. Both attract job seekers. Beautiful places attract tourists. All need food. All impact on the environment. All are connected. The dugongs are a small string in a complex web of life and right now humans are straining the web.  But the story is not only about the dugong – it’s also about the local subsistence fishing community. They too need to eat and it is unfair to ban them from fishing or criticise their methods when tourists charter fishing boats to catch game fish off the islands.

The Bazaruto Archipelago (and most of the Mozambican coastline) is a Mecca for big game anglers and the message being sent to locals by these anglers exploiting the fish stocks is simply that there’s plenty of fish in the ocean. All of the lodges in the Archipelago have an extensive seafood menu – tourists expect to eat fresh fish when holidaying on the coast and Mozambique is no exception. And the fish, crab, prawns and crayfish seen on the menu is sourced and purchased mainly from local artisanal fishermen who employ destructive fishing practices in order to survive. Throughout Mozambique there are countless stories of the exploitation of fishing on the part of local artisanal fishermen.

From sharks and mantas and mobulas to reef fish. And there is criticism of every method of fishing used by local fishermen. But the local fishermen are only pawns in the game. The Chinese (shark fins and manta gills), the tourist, the expatriates, the anglers and the divers … are all guilty of exploitation regardless of whether it is the fish caught, the fish eaten or the roads driven on in Mozambique (built by the Chinese in return for fishing rights).

2) Bush Mechanics

Recycling has become a necessity in rural communities, as have the men who have made it their trade – the bush mechanics. There are few people more symbolic of rural African ingenuity than the bush mechanics.

With no formal training in mechanical repair or engineering, they recycle everyday objects and use them to solve everyday problems. So many communities in South Africa lack the finance and means of getting hold of mechanical parts to fix ancient vehicles and machines or to build the tools and contraptions that allow them to eek out a living or remain self-sustainable.

These bush mechanics keep Africa slowly moving forward and are in fact, a lesson to us all on eco-living. From making a honey extractor from readily available scrap parts to fixing a fan belt with a dirty old rag, we must all learn to fix rather than throw away, and to recycle, remake and reuse.

3) Woolworths – Free-range Eggs

We all prefer to eat free-range eggs these days but what about pre-made products that contain eggs? How much control do we have over what eggs are used to make those products? Woolworths has embarked on a project to ensure that all their egg-containing products contain free-range eggs but this isn’t as simple as one might imagine!

4) Get Connected with Braam

Braam visits China to talk to the kids about rhinos.

5) VeldFokus Winner

The grand winner of the coveted Toyota 4×4 is announced in the final episode of the season. The award ceremony for the winners was held at Golden Gate National Park.

Updated by David Devo Oosthuizen | Devographic

Crab Spider submitted by Mike Howis

Eyed Flower Mantis by Ansie van der Merwe at Phalaborwa

Tsavo Elephants – Submitted by Antonio Raffaele Filizzola

Submitted by Maurice Roll

Submitted by Eddie Fourie

Submitted by Eddie Fourie

Prof Lee Berger & Family with Jane Goodall & Australopithecus sediba (Photo by David Devo Oosthuizen – Devographic)

Submitted by Eddie Fourie

Submitted by Eddie Fourie

Submitted by Philip Fourie

Submitted by Jerry Smits

Submitted by Laetitia Strydom

Submitted by Duncan MacFadyen

The Potter Wasp provisions their clay pot nests with paralysed caterpillars on which they lay an egg and onwhich the larvae feed. Water for making mud is collected from pools of water. The one in the photograph however seems to be feeding (macerating) on this particular caterpillar, which they do as well, since most wasps need both protein and sugars in the diet.

Submitted by Dennis Weinand

Flower Mantid Nymphs, Hymenopodidae. Like most Mantids, they mimic ants. When threatened, these Nymphs can expand their raised abdomen and appear bigger. Interestingly, ants are the least of their worries, as the nNmphs eat each other in their early stages.Young katydid nymphs are even better ant-mimics.

Submitted by Wilbur Southey

Submitted by Tony Knott-Craig

Submitted by Joan van Niekerk

Kingsley Holgate, Submission by Dave Devo Oosthuizen.

Claude, Submission by Skye Ebden.

1) Namibian Elephants

The conflict between humans and “desert elephants” in Namibia is nothing new, especially in Northwest Namibia, where most of the country’s desert-dwelling elephants live – here conflicts between people and elephants are part of daily life. A local Herero man Hendrick Munembome took the elephant issue to heart and it is through his eyes, with Bonne’s help, that we explore some of the pressing community issues in this context. With Hendrick we revisit a community around Twyfelfontein, where an elephant killed a man a couple of years ago.

This is where Hendrick and Dr. Betsy Fox (EHRA) conducted several seminars. We also visit the Damara Living Museum, and interview an older Damara couple who work at the museum. From them we hear and re-enforce the concept that elephants never used to be a problem until people started chasing them and shooting at them. We also encounter the Peace Project, which seeks to harmonize relationships between people and elephants to decrease conflict through education, raising awareness, and promoting ventures to enhance the livelihoods of people living with elephants.

2) Somkhele Mine

Mining companies move into an area making promises they do not meet and disrupting the lives of citizens who are evicted from their inherited lands where they have lived sustainably for generations.  Rich profits are made for shareholders living overseas while many South Africans are left dispossessed and suffering.  Why is this an all too common story in South Africa, and can it be done differently? Somkhele Anthracite mine is sited 5kms from iMfolozi Game Reserve,  the oldest proclaimed park in Africa, and the only state-run park in KZN where all the Big Five Game occur.  It also has the largest population of white rhino in the world.

Petmin owns Tendele and Somkhele and likes to present itself as a responsible mining company but, given the Kyoto protocol and international commitments to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, how appropriate is it and what are the long terms costs of extracting fossil fuels so close to a priceless international conservation asset?  Inadequate consultation and broken promises by Tendele anthracite mine have been tearing the community of Somkhele apart.  The mine is planning to expand and the Somkhele community is concerned that, if the mine is allowed to move to another area without first delivering on its promises, it will destroy other communities in an area that is already volatile and could easily spill over into violence caused by legitimate demands not being met.

It would be tragic if another Ndumu situation developed in the next few years or even 10, 20 or 30 years ahead when the mine closes because it is no longer viable. In mid-2008 only 5 homesteads were identified for relocation to make way for the mine.  Despite the fact that the mine was going to impact on the entire village, only these 5 families were invited to a meeting with Mr. M. Snerling (Tendele coal mine) accompanied by the area’s Induna, Mr. M.B. Gumede, who serves under the Mpukunyoni Tribal Authority.  Today, more than 50 families have been evicted from their ancestral land.

Although the mine has been fully operational for more than 36 months, the 5 families and the other affected residents are still awaiting the promises made by Mr Snerling. Courageous community leaders such as Mr. G. Dladla have emerged to speak out on behalf of the residents but he has been targeted and intimidated and had to appear at Kwa-Msane district court on charges of brewing violence, disturbing the peace and convening a meeting without the consent of the traditional leadership.

3) Interview with Sir David Attenborough on “Frozen Planet”

Simon travels to London to meet with the world famous Sir David Attenborough to chat about his latest BBC Earth Series “Frozen Planet” – that not only brings the extraordinary wonders of the remote Polar wildernesses to our screens in the usual Attenborough style and precision but also explores the effect of climate change on these regions. We get a vivid taste of this fascinating series.

4) It’s Up to Us

Knysna tries to model the functioning of its closed forest system in the town in order to live more sustainably as a community.

Updated by David Devo Oosthuizen | Devographic

Upcoming 50|50 Episode 38, Monday 9 January 2012

1) Namibian Elephants

The conflict between humans and “desert elephants” in Namibia is nothing new, especially in Northwest Namibia, where most of the country’s desert-dwelling elephants live – here conflicts between people and elephants are part of daily life. A local Herero man Hendrick Munembome took the elephant issue to heart and it is through his eyes, with Bonne’s help, that we explore some of the pressing community issues in this context. With Hendrick we revisit a community around Twyfelfontein, where an elephant killed a man a couple of years ago.

This is where Hendrick and Dr. Betsy Fox (EHRA) conducted several seminars. We also visit the Damara Living Museum, and interview an older Damara couple who work at the museum. From them we hear and re-enforce the concept that elephants never used to be a problem until people started chasing them and shooting at them. We also encounter the Peace Project, which seeks to harmonize relationships between people and elephants to decrease conflict through education, raising awareness, and promoting ventures to enhance the livelihoods of people living with elephants.

2) Somkhele Mine

Mining companies move into an area making promises they do not meet and disrupting the lives of citizens who are evicted from their inherited lands where they have lived sustainably for generations.  Rich profits are made for shareholders living overseas while many South Africans are left dispossessed and suffering.  Why is this an all too common story in South Africa, and can it be done differently? Somkhele Anthracite mine is sited 5kms from iMfolozi Game Reserve,  the oldest proclaimed park in Africa, and the only state-run park in KZN where all the Big Five Game occur.  It also has the largest population of white rhino in the world.

Petmin owns Tendele and Somkhele and likes to present itself as a responsible mining company but, given the Kyoto protocol and international commitments to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, how appropriate is it and what are the long terms costs of extracting fossil fuels so close to a priceless international conservation asset?  Inadequate consultation and broken promises by Tendele anthracite mine have been tearing the community of Somkhele apart.  The mine is planning to expand and the Somkhele community is concerned that, if the mine is allowed to move to another area without first delivering on its promises, it will destroy other communities in an area that is already volatile and could easily spill over into violence caused by legitimate demands not being met.

It would be tragic if another Ndumu situation developed in the next few years or even 10, 20 or 30 years ahead when the mine closes because it is no longer viable. In mid-2008 only 5 homesteads were identified for relocation to make way for the mine.  Despite the fact that the mine was going to impact on the entire village, only these 5 families were invited to a meeting with Mr. M. Snerling (Tendele coal mine) accompanied by the area’s Induna, Mr. M.B. Gumede, who serves under the Mpukunyoni Tribal Authority.  Today, more than 50 families have been evicted from their ancestral land.

Although the mine has been fully operational for more than 36 months, the 5 families and the other affected residents are still awaiting the promises made by Mr Snerling. Courageous community leaders such as Mr. G. Dladla have emerged to speak out on behalf of the residents but he has been targeted and intimidated and had to appear at Kwa-Msane district court on charges of brewing violence, disturbing the peace and convening a meeting without the consent of the traditional leadership.

3) Interview with Sir David Attenborough on “Frozen Planet”

Simon travels to London to meet with the world famous Sir David Attenborough to chat about his latest BBC Earth Series “Frozen Planet” – that not only brings the extraordinary wonders of the remote Polar wildernesses to our screens in the usual Attenborough style and precision but also explores the effect of climate change on these regions. We get a vivid taste of this fascinating series.

4) It’s Up to Us

Knysna tries to model the functioning of its closed forest system in the town in order to live more sustainably as a community.

Updated by David Devo Oosthuizen | Devographic