Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 5 February 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The City of Cape Town says an estimated 2.5- to 3.5-million litres of drinking water will be saved daily, as treated effluent connections are commissioned for irrigation across the metro. Treated effluent is wastewater that has been purified at a wastewater treatment works, where contaminants are removed before it is safely reused. Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says using treated effluent for irrigation and industrial purposes is an excellent way to help conserve water supply:

# A new study by Utrecht University has uncovered how plant-covered walls can help cool cities and boost biodiversity. Led by ecologist Katharina Hecht, researchers made a comparison between green walls, bare walls, and natural cliffs. The green walls were found to reduce air temperatures by up to 0.7 degrees Celsius and hosted over 100 animal species. The study highlights the importance of integrating green walls into larger urban ecosystems. Hecht’s team is now developing a digital system to track green wall benefits across different climates.

# And finally: The arrival of a baby swell shark at an aquarium in Louisiana has caused a wave of excitement, after the egg hatched without any male shark involved. Shark pup Yoko was born in a tank containing just two female sharks. However, the birth could have been caused by parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction where the embryo develops from an egg without fertilisation. Alternatively, fertilisation occurring long after mating could have taken place. Shreveport Aquarium says it will undertake genetic testing to determine exactly how Yoko came to be.

Stay tuned for more news………….