Search results

An unregulated trade in pelargonium, a protected species, is causing environmental destruction across Lesotho. Five people were recently found guilty of illegally dealing in pelargonium. They were fined M200 (equivalent to R200). In a scathing judgment, magistrate Thabang Tapole found serious flaws in the government's permitting system and said laws should be updated to effectively deter people from breaking environmental laws. He also highlighted how local harvesters are paid "peanuts" for a product that sells at high prices internationally.

Yokohama - Tanzania and Kenya have announced a joint bid to champion digital public infrastructure, a regional command and control centre to address human-nature conflicts in Africa, as per the Lusaka Agreement Known officially as the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations directed at Illegal trade in wild fauna and flora, it is a treaty focused on combating illegal wildlife trade.

The smallest tortoise in the world lives on South Africa's west coast, and a button-shaped succulent endemic to a tiny area of the Northern Cape can be found nowhere else in the world. But the area's unique fauna and flora are under threat from poaching, mining, farming, and climate change.

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has commended the conviction and sentencing of four foreign nationals involved in a major plant poaching case, valued between R6 million and R30 million. The Calvinia Regional Court sentenced the accused to 15 years direct imprisonment for the illegal harvesting of 303 specimens of the critically endangered Clivia mirabilis, a rare species endemic to parts of the Northern and Western Cape.

Three men have been arrested for illegal logging in the West Bugwe Central Forest Reserve, Busia district. The National Forestry Authority (NFA) apprehended Kennedy Yolya, Henry Mudambo, and Robert Mudambo, aged between 35 and 50, for cutting down immature hardwood trees in a protected area. According to Michael Kusoro, NFA's Kyoga Range Manager, the trio was caught in the act of felling 17 mature indigenous trees, including species such as Albizia, Combretum, and Vitex doniana.

Succulent poaching, fuelled by the illicit trade it sustains, is emerging as a pressing global concern, threatening the existence of these remarkable plants. The increasing demand fuels a lucrative illicit market, endangering their existence in the wild. The climate crisis and the destruction of natural habitats further exacerbate the challenges faced by these unique plants.