Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 28 August 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The relocation of elephants from Pretoria and Johannesburg zoos has sparked widespread debate and petitions about wildlife access and conservation in South Africa. This follows the move of Pretoria Zoo’s last elephant bull, Charley, to Shambala Private Game Reserve in Limpopo. The decision was approved by the South African National Biodiversity Institute as a welfare measure. Critics argue the move shifts public heritage into elite spaces, limiting access for working-class communities.

# CapeNature says it is promoting catch-and-release fishing practices of indigenous fish species, and removal of invasive fish species as a practical way for recreational anglers to contribute to conservation. Currently, 24 of the Western Cape’s 35 freshwater fish species are listed as threatened, and 73-percent of the province’s freshwater fish are found nowhere else in the world. CapeNature CEO Ashley Naidoo says practising responsible catch and release or sometimes catch and remove for alien invasive species helps to sustain the biodiversity of the freshwater systems.

# And finally: The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition has urged the European Union to reconsider its planned implementation of an expanded levy on carbon-intensive imports. The EU’s carbon-border adjustment mechanism is designed to reduce emissions by ensuring imports are subject to the same surcharges as domestically produced goods that use carbon-intensive methods. The department says this could end up stifling efforts by South Africa and other developing countries to address climate change. Africa is the world’s 14th-largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions.

Stay tuned for more news………….