Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 1 August  1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The recent heavy rains in the Western Cape have resulted in pollution along rivers and beaches. Plastic bags, baby food packaging, microplastics, medical waste, shoes and other items of clothing have been found lining some of the beaches and rivers. South Africa contributes 35-percent of plastic pollution leaking into waterways and the marine environment in Southern and Eastern Africa. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, pollution is not only an environmental problem but a human problem as well.

# The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds in Cape Town is celebrating a milestone following the release of one-thousand African penguin hatchlings back into the wild this year. The foundation that artificially incubate and hatch eggs, highlighted their crucial role in preventing the extinction of this endangered species. The foundation says this achievement underscores its ongoing dedication to seabird conservation.

# And finally, the University of Pretoria has unveiled a new ten-year research programme focused on injury prevention among game rangers. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, rangers will be called upon to protect nearly a third of the planet in the next decade. The university’s professor Carel Viljoen says the research programme aims to build a repository of data that can be used for future research projects, geared towards injury prevention strategies among game rangers in Africa:

Stay tuned for more news………….