Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 11 March 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Two-thousand-444 dead birds from over 200 species have been recorded across 33 wind farms in South Africa over eight years ending in 2023. This is according to a report by BirdLife South Africa. Currently, the country has one-thousand-421 turbines generating about three-thousand-490-megawatts of capacity, which is set to grow to 17-thousand-700-megawatts by 2030. BirdLife says by law, all wind farms must have environmental management programmes, which include monitoring bird deaths caused by turbines. It adds that many wind farms fail to comply.

# The DA welcomes has welcomed the decline in rhino poaching but warns that sustained action is crucial. South Africa lost 420 rhinos last year, down from 499 in 2023. The DA’s Andrew de Blocq says while this is progress, challenges like weak park security, staff shortages, and internal collusion persist. He urges global cooperation to dismantle wildlife crime syndicates and curb demand for rhino horn:

# And finally: An investigation is underway after an oil tanker and a container ship collided off the British coast in the North Sea, causing a massive fire. Thirty-six crew members were rescued, and one person was taken to hospital. One crew member is still unaccounted for, but the Coast Guard says the search has been called off. The collision involved the US-registered Stena Immaculate, which was transporting fuel on behalf of the US military, and the Portuguese-flagged Solong, which was carrying 15 containers of the chemical sodium cyanide.

Stay tuned for more news………….