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Ungoverned Spaces

Ungoverned Spaces

By Prof. Brian Child As conservationists, we rush with great passion in new crusades to ‘save’ the next in a long line of threatened species or ecosystems. We lay the blame for environmental destruction at the foot of human greed, population growth, trade, or poaching and see its salvation in

The Commodification of Wildlife

The Commodification of Wildlife

By Zig Mackintosh African traditional healer Gogo Nomsa Sibeko, who heads Nature Speaks and Responds (NPC), an organization founded in 2022 predominantly comprised of traditional female healers, was one of the speakers at the recent Snare Mitigation Symposium in Pretoria, South Africa. While traditional healers are often viewed with skepticism

Bees in Anti-poaching? (5-minute Video)

Bees in Anti-poaching? (5-minute Video)

Anti-poaching operations are not just about chasing poachers through the bush. Zambeze Delta Safaris (ZDS) has several community projects to improve the livelihoods of the people in the area. One of them is beekeeping. The project is centered around the women in the community and beehives, and beekeeping training is

Lifeblood to a Wilderness: The Niassa Reserve of Northern Mozambique (7-minute Video)

Lifeblood to a Wilderness: The Niassa Reserve of Northern Mozambique (7-minute Video)

The Niassa Reserve is situated in the far north of Mozambique, with the Rovuma River forming the borderline with Tanzania. It is the biggest wildlife sanctuary in the country, covering an area of about 16,200 square miles, about the size of Switzerland. Although it was proclaimed in 1954 as

The Snare Mitigation Symposium

The Snare Mitigation Symposium

The poaching of iconic wildlife species gets most of the mainstream media’s attention. Titillating stories of rangers, armed to the teeth, chasing after poachers through the bush with their dogs, and aerial backup corroborates the Western worldview. And this is where most of the taxpayer and donor money goes

The Importance of Participation

The Importance of Participation

By Ian Cox We all know how important the right to vote is, right? If asked, we will all probably reply that the right to vote in free and fair elections is what makes our country a democracy. However, how many South Africans realise they would only be half right

The Issue of Nomads and Their Cattle (5-minute Video)

The Issue of Nomads and Their Cattle (5-minute Video)

The Mbororo have historically resisted conservation regulations in Northern Cameroon, restricting their access to traditional grazing lands. This resistance stems from a need to maintain their livelihood and cultural practices, leading to tensions with conservation authorities. But the world is changing, and if biodiversity is to be maintained, the Mbororo

The Myth of Replacing Safari Hunting with Ecotourism (5-minute Video)

The Myth of Replacing Safari Hunting with Ecotourism (5-minute Video)

A report by lion researcher Dr Peter Lindsey et al. in 2006 estimated the total area of sub-Saharan Africa devoted to safari hunting to be at least 1.4 million square kilometers. By contrast, England's total land area is 130,000 square kilometers. The animal rights groups, many

Pachyderms (and Paradise) Lost

Pachyderms (and Paradise) Lost

By Hank's Voice A New York Times article on September 1, 1973, declared, "Kenya has banned all elephant hunting in the country and all dealings in ivory". At the time, J.K. Mutinda, Kenya's chief game warden, said that 99% of elephant carcasses in

The Mbororo Nomadic Pastoralists

The Mbororo Nomadic Pastoralists

Nomadic pastoralists—people who move seasonally with their livestock in search of pasture and water—have been marginalized and ostracized by more sedentary populations for centuries. This phenomenon can be attributed to various social, economic, environmental, and political factors. Nomadic pastoralists require large tracts of land, which they view as

Adaptive Conservation Management (5-minute Video)

Adaptive Conservation Management (5-minute Video)

Adaptive conservation management focuses on learning through doing. It is a dynamic and flexible approach that allows conservationists to respond to changing environmental conditions and new information. Treating management actions as experiments enables continuous learning and improvement, making it particularly valuable in Africa’s complex and often unpredictable ecosystems. Wildlife

Dehorning Rhino to Deter Poaching (10-minute Video)

Dehorning Rhino to Deter Poaching (10-minute Video)

The Mozambique Wildlife Alliance’s (MWA) mission is to create a platform for collaborative veterinary and conservation actions in Mozambique that will connect and support partners, promote coexistence with communities and increase conservation impact for people, wildlife, and the habitat they share across Mozambique. Their vision is to provide an

Is Uncontrolled, Unregulated Gold Mining a Form of Poaching?

Is Uncontrolled, Unregulated Gold Mining a Form of Poaching?

By Zig Mackintosh "Illegal" mining across Africa is a serious environmental concern. The Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe, rich in gold deposits, particularly along riverbeds, attracts opportunist miners and organized syndicates. Unemployment, poverty, and rising global gold prices are the main drivers for the practice, which is often associated

It’s a Human Right, Silly!

It’s a Human Right, Silly!

By Ian Cox The environmental right is a human right. Its purpose is to protect us from an environment that harms our health or well-being rather than protecting the planet from us. The South African Government is obliged to protect this right we have been promised in section 24 of