Nature & Conservation
Social-Ecological Resilience Science
Last month’s lioness charge was a live demonstration of how living systems behave under sudden stress. Three people stood on
16 March 2026
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Last month’s lioness charge was a live demonstration of how living systems behave under sudden stress. Three people stood on
The good news is that poachers slaughtered far fewer rhinos in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal last year. The bad news is that they killed many more in Kruger National Park instead.
In 1903, the Wright brothers conducted the first successful powered flight, yet just 66 years later, on the 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to set foot on another world. This monumental achievement marked one of mankind’s greatest achievements.
The loud, guttural growl of a lion shredded the stillness ahead. A sound that bypassed thinking to fuse directly into my nervous system.
Elephants are steadily reducing the number of mature marula trees in the park, while regeneration has all but collapsed due to browsing from other herbivores. By allowing their numbers to remain at current levels we are choosing short-term comfort over long-term ecological integrity.
Wasps in southern Africa span many families, from solitary hunters to social nest builders. They play a vital ecological role that extends far beyond their reputation for stinging. As highly effective predators, they naturally regulate populations of insects and other invertebrates. Many wasps also act as pollinators while visiting flowers for nectar, contributing to plant reproduction and biodiversity. Together, these functions make wasps essential to maintaining healthy and balanced ecosystems.
There are books about Africa… and then there are books that take you there. Eden – Soul of Africa, the new work by photographer and storyteller Armand Grobler, falls squarely into the second category.
For young South Africans standing at the threshold of adulthood, the choice of what to do after matric can feel overwhelming. Some will step directly into university pathways; others sense that their future lies not in lecture halls, but in landscapes, among wildlife, weather, and the rhythms of the natural world. For those seeking a purposeful gap year or a launchpad into eco-tourism and conservation, EcoTraining’s 1-Year Professional Field Guide Course offers an extraordinary alternative.
Every summer Christmas in South Africa comes with its own traditions: evening braais, warm nights outdoors, and the soft glow of festive lights decorating homes and gardens. But while we hang strings of coloured bulbs and ornaments on our trees, the night sky above us is already glowing with its own natural Christmas palette – stars shining in brilliant blue, crisp white, warm yellow, glowing orange, and deep red.
As the nights grow warmer, new regions of the heavens drift into view, offering us a chance to meet some of our closest and most spectacular galactic neighbours.
