I have had the pleasure of compiling and editing the remarkable stories the EWT’s staff members have written over the last three years and reading and contributing to them for eight years before that. It’s a little late to introduce myself, but I am sadly leaving the EWT and wanted to say a few words about my EWT story and acknowledge those who have walked beside me.
Approximately seven million girls in South Africa still suffer from what has been coined “period poverty”, as they don’t have access to menstrual products each month. What is needed is period equity – ensuring girls have access to reusable and affordable menstrual products and information on feminine hygiene.
UKZN PhD student Jonah Gula aimed to find and trap four Marabou Storks and fit them with tracking devices as part of his PhD project, but first, he needed to find a site with large numbers of Marabous. The Marabous proved to be much more wily birds than we initially gave them credit for and it was quite the adventure!
Cycads are ancient seed plants (or gymnosperms) that date back to the Jurassic period. The illegal harvesting of wild plants and habitat destruction severely threaten these prehistoric plants. Worryingly, many cycads are Critically Endangered, and others are extinct in the wild, meaning none are left within their natural range.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust recently conducted a comprehensive biodiversity survey on the Papkuilsfontein proposed Protected Environment. Papkuilsfontein is situated near Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape in a region known for its rich and unique biodiversity. There were some fascinating results
Bianca Greyvenstein, Post Doctoral Fellow, and Professor Johnnie van den Berg from the North-West University (NWU) are the leading experts on Mantids in South Africa. The EWT invited them to visit the Papkuilsfontein proposed Protected Environment to document the praying mantis species on the property.