Thanks to the controversial approval of a one-off ivory sale, illegal trade in ivory has been reinvigorated - and 100 elephants a day are being slaughtered.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) approved a one-off elephant ivory auction in 2008 of 119 tons (108 tonnes) - representing over 10,000 dead elephants - and this decision is believed to have stimulated the growing illegal ivory market.

The approval of China and Japan as trading partners in the ivory auction remains a questionable move (a huge mistake, many would argue), as both countries are known for being among the world’s largest markets for illegal ivory.

It has been suggested that climate change across the globe will significantly impact on coastlines everywhere. Cape Town’s 307km of coastline are no exception, a study done by the City of Cape Town and consultants has said that our coast lines are particularly vulnerable.

Cambridge university hosted a seminar in Cape Town where Stockholm’s Environmental Institute economist Anton Cartwright spoke of sea levels rising by 15cm by 2020 and by two thirds of a metre by the end of the century. This rise will have a knock on effect, not only causing the frequency and intensity of storms around the coast line to increase, but also rendering current flood defences useless during these storms.

A young African white-backed vulture is preparing to undergo cataract surgery in hopes of restoring his eyesight.
In the first operation of its kind on any African vulture species, an 11-month-old Gyps Africanus diagnosed with advanced cataracts will hopefully be able to see the world around him, thanks to the vets at Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute.

According to News24, the vulture was taken to Onderstepoort for treatment by Kerri Wolter of the Rhino and Lion Conservation’s vulture program. Upon examination, it was determined that the vulture was almost completely blind.

African white-backed vultures (like the other Old World vulture species) have virtually no sense of smell, and rely entirely on sight to locate their food.

Wolter believes that the young vulture was either born blind or developed cataracts as a chick - and would have certainly died without treatment.

I think it relied on its parents to survive for almost 11 months, but they would have kicked him out as they started to breed, so I don’t think it would have survived for more than a week longer in the wild.

Chris van Blerk of the Faculty of of Veterinary Science said via News24 that if everything goes according to plan, the vulture will emerge “long-sighted” from the operation - which entails removing the lenses from the bird’s eyes.

After the surgery, the vulture will require antibiotics and eyedrops for about six weeks and will be kept at the Rhino and Lion Wildlife Conservation facilities during recovery.

The next step will be observing the vulture in a flight enclosure to determine if he can be released on a private farm that is situated near a vulture restaurant (a poison-free supply of carcasses).

However, if the young patient does not rehabilitate sufficiently for release, he will have a home at the conservation center, serving as an “ambassador” for the African white-backed vulture, to help educate the public about vulture conservation.

Source: GO Media - Written by Rhishja Larson - Image: flickr.com/lipkee/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Air pollution is responsible for more than R4-billion in health costs, the Department of Environmental Affairs said on Monday.  "Healthcare costs associated with the burning of fossil fuels amount to R4-billion," the department's national air quality officer Peter Lukey told reporters in Vanderbijlpark at the Air Quality Governance Lekgotla. He also stated that the poor were disproportionally affected by air pollution. "They carry a double burden because firstly they are poor and secondly they are sick."

The poor often live in poorly ventilated areas and use coal fires for heat and cooking. He also added that in apartheid times the poor were often given area’s downwind from industrial areas as nobody else wanted to live there due to the pollution. "That's a legacy we have to manage," said Lukey.
A report was released by The Department of Environmental Affairs stating that a “baseline” for progress in the future needed to be put in place.

Pretoria - South Africa wants to create an awareness amongst all communities residing in the vicinity of its borders, to take care of the environment.

Deputy Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi and Zimbabwean Environmental Minister Francis Nhema on Friday launched an awareness campaign at the Beit Bridge border post.

The Clean-Up Campaign is the first of its kind and is not limited to cleaning the borders, said Mabudafhasi.

BLOG: All the greenies out there might find it interesting to know that Polystyrene recycling programs have been established in Gauteng, Durban and Western Cape, and now the first high volume recycling programme in Pretoria has been established by the Polystyrene Packaging Council. Drop off sites is being established, as I write this, for consumers to drop their Polystyrene off. The Polystyrene is then taken to the premises of Allied Recycling in Pretoria North where the Polystyrene will be compressed by the first locally-made Ingot machine.

The advantages of recycling your polystyrene by using an Ingot machine include:

The making of Ingots out of the Polystyrene creates an improved carbon footprint when transporting the Polystyrene, as the Ingot condenses the Polystyrene up to 200 times its original density.

Scientists meeting in Cape Town this week have warned the world will miss its goals of slowing biodiversity loss by 2010, The target was set by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 2003.

"It's very clear we are not going to meet the 2010 goal. Overall biodiversity loss is accelerating rather than slowing down," said Council for Scientific and Industrial Research fellow Bob Scholes. Scholes is the organiser of the 2nd Diversitas conference on biodiversity science which was held in Cape Town this week. The UN supports Diversitas and promotes biodiversity research.

A major cull is taking place on Robben Island of the troublesome rabbit population that was bought to the island by early sailors, to breed as a source of meat. Next month they will be joined by both the islands deer and cats. The deer, which come originally from Europe, were introduced in the mid-20th century.
"The island is heading for ... an environmental disaster," the island museum's acting chief executive Jatti Bredekamp said on Friday. He also stated that the 25000 plus rabbits were causing havoc by destroying vegetation and burrowing under historic buildings.

After a gun battle in Charara National park near Sanyati Gorge, park rangers shot and killed an elephant poacher, arrested three accomplices - and recovered an AK-47 rifle.

While out on patrol, two rangers stationed at Charara Safari Area and Tashinga National Parks came across the carcass of an elephant, who appeared to have been recently killed. As their regular rounds did not turn up any suspects, they decided to wait in ambush near the elephant’s carcass.

Parks director-general, Dr. Morris Mutsambiwa, explained in an allAfrica.com report that waiting for the poachers to return to the scene of the crime paid off.

Well-funded poaching syndicates are cashing in on Asia’s demand for rhino horn - and jeopardizing decades of rhino conservation efforts in South Africa.

The reason behind the current 15-year high in rhino poaching is no longer a mystery or “baffling” to experts: It is fueled by the insatiable demands of a newly affluent - and increasing - population in Asia.

Commercial rhino poaching has become a well-oiled machine - and the “new Asian wealth” is bankrolling the slaughter.

A joint waste management venture between packaging company Nampak and steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa has been reported by Collect-a-can to have increased food and drink can recycling in South Africa to 72%.

While the majority of cans in South Africa are made of steel and local manufacturing of aluminium cans has ceased, aluminium is still present in the can recycling process as many imported beverages are packaged in aluminium cans, says Collect-a-Can marketing manager Mathabo Phomane.

A huge 60% – 70% of the cans that are going through the recycling process are collected from landfills, between the company and the government they are aiming to reduce this to just 40%.

One hundred and twenty Euros ($175 million) has been made available to fund renewable energy and efficiency improvement projects of small and medium sized businesses in South Africa.

The funding

French development bank Agence Française de Développement (AFD) announced, at the end of September 2009, that it would be extending a €120-million credit facility to commercial banks in South Africa, to be used for smaller energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.