A major new conservation initiative aimed at strengthening biodiversity protection and community resilience in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was officially launched in Gaborone, Botswana, on 12 May 2026. The 30-month project, titled Integrated Management for Biodiversity Conservation and Community Resilience in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, is funded by the European Union through the NaturAfrica programme and implemented by African...
Mount Moco, one of Angola’s most important biodiversity strongholds, has officially been granted legal protection following the publication of Law No. 5/26 in the Diário da República (the Angolan Government’s Official Gazette) on 9 April 2026. The legislation establishes the Mount Moco Conservation Area as a Partial Nature Reserve, marking a landmark moment for conservation in Angola. Feature image: Swierstra’s Francolin, endemic...
By Tarryn Havemann, Mouse-Free Marion Project Development Officer 26 February – The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project has secured a transformational pledge of US$10 million from a Swiss-based international foundation. This commitment represents the largest contribution received to date and marks a major milestone in the journey towards restoring Marion Island to its former ecological condition....
By Faye Knight 28 January – WWF’s Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI) has released its updated list to guide seafood lovers on how to select the most sustainable seafoods and highlights the need for continued caution in what consumers selection. While this update brings good news for the Maasbanker (Cape Horse Mackerel) and the...
We highlight some of our BirdLife South Africa’s key achievements from the year – from saving African Penguins from extinction to tracking a European Roller from Limpopo to China, and much more! Feature image: BirdLife South Africa’s management team. You can support BirdLife South Africa’s work by clicking here
Cape Town (08 December 2025) – The Western Cape has added 47 000 hectares to its conservation estate through the declaration of two new nature reserves and the expansion of two others. This major boost to the province’s protected areas creates vital space for Cape mountain zebras to breed and improves protection for a wide range...
By Faye Knight – The coastline of southern Africa has been facing an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) since July 2025, specifically in the Western Cape and Gqeberha regions and marking this outbreak to be the first since April 2024. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) has played...
18 November, 2026 – WWF South Africa has announced the recipients of its 2025 Living Planet Award, honouring individuals and organisations whose work strengthens the country’s environmental future. This year’s awardees are Dr John Kani in the individual category for his work as the longest-serving trustee of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, and for his...
In a landmark boost for seabird conservation, South African computer entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Shuttleworth has donated US $1 million to the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project, reinforcing efforts to rid Marion Island of invasive house mice and restore habitat for vulnerable seabirds. Mouse Menace Threatens Albatrosses, Petrels, and More Marion Island, a remote sub-Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, is...
24 September – A Lappet-faced Vulture chick hatched at Vulpro’s captive breeding facility at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape on 24 September, coinciding with South Africa’s Heritage Day. The vulture species is nationally Critically Endangered. The birth of this marks the first successful hatching of the species at Vulpro and is being described...
