Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 14 February 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The City of Cape Town is updating its Biodiversity Spatial Plan 2025 which details its rich biodiversity, including its BioNet map and land use guidelines, aiming to balance conservation and sustainable development. With conserved land covering 22.72-percent of the city, Cape Town remains the world’s most biodiverse city. The City invites public comment by 13 March.

# A large-scale study has found that pesticides are severely harming wildlife, damaging reproduction, and altering animal behaviour. Researchers analysed 471 different pesticide types used in farms, businesses and homes. More than 800 species on land and in water were assessed to have suffered detrimental effects, including reducing how fast they grow, and their reproductive success. Co-author Dave Goulson of the University of Sussex says they found pervasive negative impacts across plants, animals, fungi and microbes, threatening the integrity of ecosystems.

# And finally: A study has warned that the world’s peatlands are dangerously unprotected. Peatlands reportedly cover just three-percent of the land but emit massive carbon dioxide when drained, ranking as the fourth-largest global polluter. The first global assessment found only 17-percent are protected, far less than tropical forests and mangroves. Major peatland nations, including Canada, Russia, and Indonesia, have even lower protection levels.

Stay tuned for more news………….