This year, Earth Hour is not only about switching off our lights; it’s about interrogating how our electricity is produced. The lion’s share of South Africa’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations. The mining of coal can be hugely destructive, and the burning of these
If you’ve been to Hermanus and found yourself spellbound by its magnificent backdrop (as many people do), you’ve probably wondered how you could get closer to those mountains. The good news is that you can lose yourself in them. As one of the most spectacular, yet
One tends to imagine carnivorous plants growing in the shadowy depths of the Amazon rainforest or other exotic places across the planet. Who would have thought that we have our very own plant predators right here on Table Mountain? Drosera plants, commonly known as ‘sundews’, make
Many of us are aware that alien vegetation is a water guzzler, but do we appreciate just how much so? As South Africa is a chronically water stressed country, it is – and will always be – critical for us to understand where we can
The first conservation easement has been signed in South Africa that is focused specifically on protecting Renosterveld. WWF-South Africa has signed with a Caledon landowner, MG Lötter. The Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust (ORCT) will manage the easement and provide the management support to Lötter and landowners
Despite severe water restrictions, Capetonians are not doing enough to save water. In fact, in the week that Level 3B water restrictions were introduced, we consumed an average of 808 million litres per day, one million litres more than the previous week. Western Cape dam levels
On 1 December 2016, the Monwabisi Resort in Mitchell’s Plain was abuzz as participants and partners turned up to attend the celebratory close out event of the Cape Flats Nature Partners’ Fund (CFNPF). Despite the busy time of the month the event saw a turnout
There are over 4000 species of cockroach known to science, and only one has the ability to jump. While every other cockroach scuttles across the ground in regular roach fashion, one eccentric relation spends much of its day hurtling nearly 50 times its body length
After another spate of fires consumed the Western Cape last week, our fire protection services have once again had their work cut out for them. While the teams on the ground tackled blaze after blaze, what we (the general public) see and hear via the
In November 2016, the TMF Board of Trustees visited the Groenlandberg Conservancy in the Elgin Valley. The visiting delegation was hosted by Alison Green, the Chair of the Groenlandberg Conservancy, Nature Guide Evan Kortje and local farmer Mike Du Toit. The day was filled with