February 06
Africa: Microplastics Found in Nile River's Tilapia Fish - New Study
The Nile is one of the world's most famous rivers. It's also Africa's most important freshwater system. About 300 million people live in the 11 countries it flows through. Many… Read more »
February 04
Madagascar: Giant Tortoises Have Returned 600 Years After Being Wiped Out
A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600… Read more »
January 29
Africa: That Sharp, Green Smell of Freshly Cut Grass? It's a Plant's Cry for Help - and It May Work As a Less Toxic Pesticide for Farmers
Have you ever wondered about that sharp, green note that hits your nose when you mow the lawn or cut flower stems? Those are green leaf volatiles, or GLVs: easily evaporated oils… Read more »
January 31
Africa: Oil Firms Forced to Consider Full Climate Effects of New Drilling, Following Landmark Norwegian Court Ruling
Norway's district court in Oslo recently made a decision on fossil fuels that deserves the attention of every person concerned about climate change. Read more »
South Africa: Wetlands Are Superheroes - Expert Sets Out How They Protect People and Places
In the past, wetlands were often seen as undesirable landscapes - waterlogged areas that were difficult to navigate, impossible to build on or farm, and a source of pests such as… Read more »
January 30
Nigeria: Nigeria's Plastic Ban - Why It's Good and How It Can Work
Two weeks into January 2024, Nigerian authorities took steps to curb environmental degradation caused by plastic pollution in the country. Read more »
January 28
North Africa: Banksias Are Iconic Australian Plants, but Their Ancestors Actually Came From North Africa
Few plants conjure up the Australian bush better than banksias, whose beautiful flowers are irresistible to honeyeater birds, small marsupials and nature lovers. Read more »
Malawi: El Niño - Malawi's Harvest of Maize - Its Staple Food - May Fall By 22.5 Percent This Year
Maize is the preferred staple of most of southern Africa. In Malawi it supplies two-thirds of national calorie intake. Nine out of 10 farming households produce maize and devote… Read more »
January 25
Africa: Africa's Savannah Elephants - Small 'Fortress' Parks Aren't the Answer - They Need Room to Roam
Africa is home to about 410,000 savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana), most of them living in southern Africa. Over 290,000 elephants (70%) are spread across 103 protected areas… Read more »
January 15
Africa: First Polar Bear to Die of Bird Flu - What Are the Implications?
Climate change is a threat to polar bear's survival. Now they have a new deadly challenge facing them: bird flu. It was recently confirmed that a polar bear from northern Alaska… Read more »
January 22
Africa: Tiny Water-Walking Bugs Provide Scientists With Insights On How Microplastics Are Pushed Underwater
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can cause big problems when they enter the water supply. One way my fluid dynamics lab explores microplastic movement is by studying… Read more »
January 23
South Africa: Albatrosses Are Threatened With Extinction - and Climate Change Could Put Their Nesting Sites At Risk
The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the world's largest flying bird, with a wingspan reaching an incredible 3.5 metres. These birds are oceanic nomads: they spend most of… Read more »
January 22
South Africa: South Africa's Agulhas Long-Billed Lark - Adapting and Surviving Despite Farming Taking Over Their Nesting Grounds
The Agulhas long-billed lark (Certhilauda brevirostris) is only found in South Africa. It builds nests on the ground mainly in Renosterveld fynbos, a type of vegetation filled with… Read more »
January 21
Congo-Kinshasa: Congo's Blackwater Ruki River Is a Major Transporter of Forest Carbon - New Study
The Congo Basin of central Africa is well known for its network of rivers that drain a variety of landscapes, from dense tropical forests to more arid and wooded savannas. Among… Read more »
January 19
South Africa: Why Are Floods in South Africa's Kwazulu-Natal So Devastating? Urban Planning Expert Explains
The devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa demonstrates again that the country is not moving fast enough to adopt appropriate urban planning. It… Read more »
January 18
Africa: Cash-Strapped Conservationists in South Africa Are Struggling to Collect Biodiversity Data - How to Change That
South Africa's government conservation organisations have experienced substantial budget cuts. Even after steps to cut costs, South African National Parks reported a big shortfall… Read more »
West Africa: Senegal's Pink Lake Is On the Verge of Disappearing - How to Protect It
Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located around 35km from the city of Dakar, Senegal. It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level. Read more »
January 16
Africa: Dangerous Chemicals Found in Recycled Plastics, Making Them Unsafe for Use - Experts Explain the Hazards
Plastic pollution is a menace worldwide. Plastics are now found in every environment on the planet, from the deepest seas to the atmosphere and human bodies. Read more »
January 17
Mozambique: Mozambique's Cyclone Flooding Was Devastating to Animals - We Studied How Body Size Affected Survival
Anyone who watches the news will have seen the devastation that tropical cyclones can cause when they reach land, with very strong winds, high rainfall and flooding. A cyclone like… Read more »
January 16
Africa: An Ancient System That Could Bring Water to Dry Areas
Some of Africa's dry areas face serious water shortages due to minimal rainfall. An ancient system of drawing water from aquifers, the "qanat system", could help. Gaathier Mahed,… Read more »
January 15
Ghana: Ghana Is Behind the Curve On Climate Change Laws - Expert Suggests a Way to Get Corporations On Board
Ghana has introduced some climate change policies and general environmental regulations but has yet to pass a Climate Change Act. This leaves the country without effective legal… Read more »
December 26, 2023
Africa: Unusual Ancient Elephant Tracks Had Our Team of Fossil Experts Stumped - How We Solved the Mystery
Over the past 15 years, through our scientific study of tracks and traces, we have identified more than 350 fossil vertebrate tracksites from South Africa's Cape south coast. Most… Read more »
December 17, 2023
Africa: Trade Rules and Climate Change - Africa Stands to Lose From Proposed WTO Policy Tools
The World Trade Organisation launched its Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action during the COP28 conference. International economic law expert Olabisi D. Akinkugbe discusses… Read more »
December 13, 2023
Africa: The COP28 Climate Agreement Is a Step Backwards On Fossil Fuels
The COP28 climate summit in Dubai has adjourned. The result is "The UAE consensus" on fossil fuels. Read more »
December 15, 2023
North Africa: The Sahara Desert Used to Be a Green Savannah - New Research Explains Why
Algeria's Tassili N'Ajjer plateau is Africa's largest national park. Among its vast sandstone formations is perhaps the world's largest art museum. Over 15,000 etchings and… Read more »