Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 20 August 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Somkhanda Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal has launched a rhino dehorning initiative to tackle the escalating poaching crisis. The community-owned reserve, home to the Big Five, was the first to welcome black rhinos through the World Wildlife Fund’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project in 2007. This latest dehorning initiative marks a significant success, not only for the reserve but for overall rhino conservation in the province, which lost 325 rhinos to poaching last year.

# The South African Weather Service has issued a Level 1 warning for damaging winds in Southern Namakwa in the Northern Cape, and the Central Karoo in the Western Cape today. Coastal winds between Cape Columbine and Plettenberg Bay are expected tomorrow. The service says the approaching cold front from the southwest of the Western Cape could bring near-gale force winds with gusts of 70 to 90 kilometres per hour. It warns of potential damage to settlements, and small vessels at risk of capsizing. The service advises motorists to drive cautiously.

# And finally, European clean energy lobby group, Transport and Environment, is warning of the environmental impact of the rapidly growing global cruise industry. The biggest cruise ships setting sail in 2050 could be nearly eight times larger than the Titanic. Cruise ships and other maritime vessels are thought to be responsible for nearly three-percent of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. The group says the speed at which the cruising industry has boomed has come at a price for the environment.

Stay tuned for more news………….