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Trophy hunting incentivises killing of endangered animals, warns Zambian environmentalist

By Tracy Keeling - The Canary Germany has become the latest European country to announce a potential ban on the import of hunting trophies. The move comes as those who support the practice have increased pressure on European politicians to continue with the status quo. And they argue that ‘Africa isn’t being heard’ on the issue. The Canary spoke with the co-founder of environmental NGO Mizu Eco-Care in Zambia to hear his thoughts on the subject. Timothy Kamuzu Phiri said he belongs to the school of thought that values wild animals while they’re alive, not...

International elephant corridor put at risk by killing of Botswana’s largest tuskers

By Don Pinnock - Daily Maverick While hunters celebrate and conservationists mourn the killing of two of Botswana’s largest-tusked elephants, a biodiversity tragedy is waiting in the wings. or millions of years, elephants have undertaken seasonal migrations, following the rains that nourish the foliage they eat. On the way, they refashion landscapes, fertilise the grasslands essential for countless herbivores and help sequester carbon by spreading seeds. One of their main dispersal routes as they move from the Okavango Delta and central Botswana is northwards along the Kwando River into...

New efforts to protect African forest elephants in Gabon for nature and climate

By Emily Beament - The Independent Measures from boosting ecotourism to electric fences to protect people’s crops are being used to help the critically endangered species. Critically endangered forest elephants play a key role in conserving rainforests that are crucial wildlife habitats and carbon stores, experts in the animals’ stronghold say. Officials in Gabon, central Africa, are implementing measures to try to protect the elephants, other wildlife such as gorillas and chimps, and the carbon-rich Congo Basin rainforest. These range from protected areas and sustainable...

As animal seed dispersers go the way of the dodo, forest plants are at risk

By Sharon Guynup - MongaBay Many plants rely on animals to reproduce, regenerate and spread. But the current sixth mass extinction is wiping out seed-dispersing wildlife that fill this role, altering entire ecosystems.Thousands of species help keep flora alive, from birds and bats to elephants, apes and rodents.Animals give plants the ability to “move,” with the need for mobility rising alongside warming temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events. Transported elsewhere, plants may be able to “outrun” a warming climate.There are growing efforts to restore these critical ecological...

Commentary

Trophy hunting incentivises killing of endangered animals, warns Zambian environmentalist

International elephant corridor put at risk by killing of Botswana’s largest tuskers

New efforts to protect African forest elephants in Gabon for nature and climate

As animal seed dispersers go the way of the dodo, forest plants are at risk

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