Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 9 February 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Department of Water and Sanitation is calling for the public to help protect and preserve wetlands in the country. Wetlands play a significant role in flood prevention, clean water provision, support of biodiversity, and provision of recreational areas. The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, says one way the public can contribute is by reducing pollution through proper waste disposal and avoiding activities that could contaminate water bodies:

# The College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech secured 49-million-rand funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to address wildlife trafficking in Botswana. This funding will fuel the establishment of a state-of-the-art wildlife forensics laboratory in Kasane. The lab’s mission is to expedite DNA evidence processing, enhancing the investigation and prosecution of wildlife trafficking. Additionally, it will support Botswana’s Elite Team, aimed at combatting wildlife crime through multiagency training and response units.

# And finally: Former head of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, Robert Watson, says global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius across an entire year is unacceptable. Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service revealed that in the period from February last year to last month a warming of 1.52 degrees Celsius was recorded. Watson says things could get worse having already experienced devastating floods, heat waves and wildfires all over the world.

Stay tuned for more news………….