A quiet but highly significant policy rift is opening among southern African states as the world turns its attention to CITES CoP20, scheduled for 24 November 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
In January 1990, four visionaries — Clive Walker, Marilyn Dougall, Laurie Wright, and Frances Gamble — gathered with a shared purpose: to bring structure, credibility, and professional standards to a field that had, until then, relied purely on passion and bush intuition. With a modest fund of R1,000, the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) was born.
Since the dawn of mankind, we have wondered if we are alone. According to scientific estimates, the Universe contains more than a septillion planets (that’s 1 followed by 24 zeros!!). Surely, somewhere in this seemingly infinite darkness, other life might exist.
In Mpumalanga, where farmland, forests, mining, and communities meet the Kruger National Park, Professor Dan Parker leads groundbreaking research on how humans and nature can coexist. Backed by a major research chair funded by Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation, he is exploring how science can guide sustainable solutions amid competing development and conservation needs in a climate-challenged world.
South Africa’s avitourism industry is a vital pillar of ecotourism and a significant contributor to the national economy. Recognised globally as a premier birding destination, the country attracts visitors eager to witness species like the vibrant Narina Trogon, endemic Rockjumpers, and Sugarbirds. These visitors bring essential income to local communities, support small businesses, and create jobs where opportunities are limited – all for the love of birds.
On the 7th of September, the world bore witness to a moment of celestial theatre as the Sun, Earth, and Moon took to the cosmic stage.
Nestled on a mountain top, 1500m above sea level in Chile, the latest great Earth-based telescope system recently captured its first photographs of the cosmos. Astronomers call this First Light.
When most people think of snakes, especially the infamous black mamba and the cryptic puff adder, they envision stealthy predators slithering through the undergrowth. However, beneath the surface of their unwarranted fearsome reputations lies a lesser known but equally fascinating aspect of their lives: their breeding behavior during the cooler winter months.
Winter is here! Not only does winter mean a break from the cripplingly oppressive Hoedspruit heat, but it also means, Milky Way season! What better way to take advantage of the cloudless winter conditions than to capture your very own photo of our galaxy’s great spiralling arms reaching into the sky like a cosmic ladder to the heavens.
The study has strong implications for Africa where natural grasslands and savannas are often misguidedly and inappropriately converted to forests, which can actually harm biodiversity and even exacerbate global warming.
