New research has found that the world’s baobab trees all evolved on Madagascar 21 million years ago. Sometime in the last 12 million years, they floated on piles of debris to Australia and Africa.
The carbon stored by forests can be bought by polluting companies to offset their emissions. This can displace communities who depend on natural forests for their livelihoods.
Mariepskop in the northern Drakensberg, South Africa’s newest protected area.
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A massive new nature reserve has just been declared in South Africa’s Drakensberg mountain range. It’s good news for communities, landowners, the land and local wildlife.
Giraffes at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya.
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Giraffes show remarkable genetic differences between populations.
New genetic research has found South Africa’s Mpumalanga-based leopards originated from an ice age almost 1 million years ago.
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Research exploring how leopards evolved has found that South African leopards are descended from an ice age a million years ago.
The collaboration between communities and scientists aims to restore baobab forests in Madagascar to this natural state.
Stéphane Corduant, Mada-Movies. Courtesy ARO Baobab Project
The majestic white shark that once drew many tourists to South Africa’s Western and Southern Cape regions has all but disappeared - and the only explanation can be a sharp decline in the population.
Wildebeests are large African antelopes.
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The African wild dog has been left without habitat to naturally disperse and breed. Scientists will set up the first-ever sperm bank to inseminate wild dogs and ensure that the species survives.
A male lion kept in captivity on a lion farm in South Africa.
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The South African government has finally decided to shut down the captive lion industry, but has not set a deadline for when lion breeding and hunting will end.
Land ownership is a challenge for Maasai women in this highly patriarchal society.
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New climate change modelling has found that as the earth heats up, venomous snake populations in Africa are likely to move across borders in search of places to live.
Nigeria is a hub for ivory trafficking despite its small elephant population.
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Forest elephants are endangered in Nigeria. Habitat protection, community awareness campaigns, research and stronger regulations could save them from going extinct.
Zebra and wildebeest taking part in the Serengeti migration.
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The study shows that bird mothers can adjust egg size depending on their social conditions. This counters the idea that, with more help, mothers lay smaller eggs.
The Aldabra giant tortoise spreads tree seeds through defecating, helping the seeds germinate and restore Madagascar’s forests.
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The biggest large mammal population study to date has found that savannah elephant numbers in southern Africa have remained stable for the past 25 years.
Global Head of Wildlife Research, World Animal Protection, and Visiting Researcher, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), University of Oxford