Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 8 July 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment minister Dion George has gazetted new draft regulations to manage offshore ship-to-ship transfers, with a strong focus on protecting the endangered African penguin. The regulations, now open for public comment, aim to reduce risks from maritime activities, especially in sensitive areas like Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. George says the survival of the African penguin is non-negotiable. He urges citizens to support efforts to protect marine life while enabling sustainable economic growth.

# South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane, has been reclassified as vulnerable due to a significant population decline, particularly a 44-percent drop in the Western Cape’s Overberg region over 15-years. The population is also declining in the semi-desert region of the Karoo, home to the majority of blue cranes in the country. Endangered Wildlife Trust conservation scientist Christie Craig says the decline has been linked to climate change, citing heat-related nesting failures. He says the birds are also facing threats from power lines, machinery and agrochemicals.

# And finally: The European Commission has launched a Roadmap towards Nature Credits to encourage private investments into actions that protect and preserve nature, and reward those who undertake these actions and invest in them. The commission says nature credits will complement existing public funding for biodiversity. It emphasises that climate risk is causing higher insurance costs, and could cost businesses up to seven-percent of their yearly profits in the next decade, if they don’t adapt and support nature preservation.

Stay tuned for more news………….