A century-old Greek pine tree is causing a flap among local nature-lovers after cutters acting on instruction, decided to put a chainsaw to the thick branches – until being stopped in their tracks by a concerned citizen. That concerned…
Every year between March and October (they are arriving early this year), loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) emerge from the warm waters of the Indian Ocean to nest on the northern beaches…
“They called a meeting. That’s what they told us: it was a meeting and we would sit and talk. “But they didn’t come to talk with us: they came to tell us that they were closing the sea [to us]. Dis geen vergadering nie: die see is nou…
It’s seal pup stranding season and here, Verona Veltman shares information and practical advice. She’s informed by her experience as a veteran marine-life first responder, and advice and information from marine mammal curator at Bayworld,…
ESTHER MOSTERT What would get 16 people scramblling around in thick bush, trying not to fall down a cliff, and stopping to take photos of any plant or animal they see on the way, all on an overcast Saturday morning? Most likely the lure…
GUY ROGERS A pregnant rhino cow has been shot dead and dehorned by poachers on a game reserve near Alexandria. The incident comes as a gruesome reminder of the rhino poaching scourge, which has been relatively quiet in the Eastern Cape in…
From Kleinemonde to Klipfontein, East Beach to Ekuphumleni, the Sunshine Coast came together on Saturday to show their love for their environment. On International Coastal Cleanup Day, annually on the third Saturday of September, litter…
When marine mammal rescuer Lionel Taylor got a call early last Sunday about a stranded seal near Boknes, he rushed to the spot. A video shared on our Facebook page shows what happened next (watch it HERE). In a phone call afterwards,…
Bringing together subsistence farming, environmental conservation and recreational activities that locals and visitors love, a new proposal for the Bathurst Commonage could provide a model for how municipal commonages across South Africa…
Poets have a long history with landscapes. AI tells us the earliest to focus specifically on natural landscape were Chinese poet Xie Lingyn (385-433) and poets of the Sangam landscape tradition in classical Tamil literature. Readers of…
Ocean scientist Professor Judy Mann who established International Marine Protection Area (MPA) Day, says it was a light bulb moment while having a shower four years ago that birthed the initiative. Judy who with husband, Professor Bruce…
If you want rhinos to survive, let alone thrive, you don’t just put them into the veld and leave them to it. That sounds like a no brainer in the context of the poaching onslaught that started in South Africa in 2002 (25 rhinos killed by…
‘Activity dries up natural water sources, erodes soil’ CHRIS GILILI The unchecked rise of illegal sand mining in the Vhembe region of Limpopo is threatening the livelihoods of small farmers, with some shutting down their crop farming…
PIET MARAIS A recent public meeting in Nolukhanyo revealed strong community opposition to a proposed mining application on the historic Bathurst Commonage. Over one hundred Bathurst residents from Nolukhanyo and the village gathered at…
Kariega Game Reserve will be the official five-star location sponsor for Safari Guide of the Year (SGOTY) 2025. This marks a historic first for the competition, as the event comes to the Eastern Cape—a region rich in biodiversity, beauty,…
PIET MARAIS The Bathurst community is preparing to face the latest threat of a sand and stone mining to the historic 3 000-hectare commonage. This follows an application for a 4ha quarry operation. A public participation meeting is…
In the first three months of 2025, five provinces in South Africa lost 103 rhinos due to poaching, averaging at 34.33 rhinos per month. “The loss of 103 rhinos to poaching in the first three months of 2025 is a stark reminder of the…
PIET MARAIS Scarcely a year after the Bathurst Commonage Management Committee (BCMC) was formed as a milestone of collaboration, they are met with their first major challenge: a move to establish a quarry about the size of 10 football…
GUY ROGERS A key new nature reserve has been unveiled and fences have been lowered in a pioneering conservation corridor on the Bushman’s River which has the backing of a powerful US investor. The two events were celebrated at a muddy but…
In a recent Friends of Bathurst Nature talk in partnership with the U3A in Port Alfred, Japie Buckle, a highly respected restoration ecologist and Managing Director of Hive Ecosystems, shed light on the concept of rewilding and its…
