In 2010 we were staying in Somerset West on South Africa’s Western Cape and found out about a lion sanctuary near Paarl. Paarl is better known as one of the Western Cape wine regions and not so much for its lions, which generally are more than 1000 miles further north in South Africa, and it’s…
The human species is the most intelligent animal on Earth, but isn’t it sad that it uses its intelligence mainly for perverse and malevolent purposes? We are overly and inexplicably arrogant about our ‘rights’, but have little or no regard to our responsibilities as custodians of the well-being of the planet for future generations, and…
The following is taken from three BBC News articles in June 2015. There is a link between all three. That our population is out of control has been evident for some time, and Nature’s inevitable response is the subject of the third piece. The solution lies with us, and should be top of every political…
Population Matters has put together a very thought provoking collection of quotations expressing concern over human over-population from a wide variety of sources over many centuries. They demonstrate that this is not a new concern, although some may argue that early concerns were probably unfounded. It is truly amazing that with so many influential people alive at present who…
Originally written in 2011, this true story was entered in the BBC Wildlife Magazine Travel Writer of the Year competition. Sadly it didn’t win, but was commended by the judges. I had forgotten about it but found it again during a new year clean up of old files. It’s a lovely story with a sad ending…
In an earlier post “The Blue Planet” I wondered whether we might actually be alone as the only sentient beings in our galaxy, if not the Universe, and if so that suggests a great responsibility on us to ensure that we live in a sustainable way on our unique planet. Having watched ‘Human Universe’ on…
Easter Sunday 2014 and together with Mrs C I am walking along an almost completely deserted beach on a nature reserve near Knysna in South Africa. Almost deserted except for a couple of folk line fishing from the beach (should they be doing that in a nature reserve – who knows). We walked on way…
Sabie Sand Reserve was unlike we had previously seen it. In two days, two weeks previously, half a metre of rain had fallen causing wide spread destruction to the sand roads and river crossings, and indeed rivers that previously we had never seen flow were suddenly very alive again. The effect on the surrounding bush was dramatic –…
According to Wikipedia, re-wilding is: ‘large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species. Rewilding projects may require ecological restoration, particularly to restore connectivity between fragmented protected areas, and reintroduction of predators where extirpated.’ For thousands of years we have…
Another 5 Years of War The Great War started in July 1914 and ended in November 1918, lasting a few days over 4 years 3 months, and the 100th anniversary commemoration has well & truly started already with the BBC in multi-platform full flow. It will go on to the end of 2018, lasting at…
Before colonisation by Europeans there were no defined ‘national boundaries’ in Southern Africa and those that we have today inconveniently often straddle traditional tribal boundaries, and of course have no relevance to wildlife. But since the 1990’s there have been moves to establish a number of transfrontier reserves called Peace Parks. Here are some notes…
In an earlier post, ‘Africa – From Cradle to Grave’ I drew attention to the increasing conflict between animals and a rapidly expanding human population in Africa. This BBC story describes a real tragedy that it is now almost too late to avoid, and presages what is destined for all large non-human mammal species across…
Politics is probably the best best breeding ground for a particular variety of intellectual activity, demonstrated for years by politicians of every hue. This activity is called ‘muddled thinking’ and is the cornerstone of all strategic policy making. It involves thinking about strategic policy in isolation. I don’t mean only thinking about strategic policy, but…
It’s not just me – 41 organisations including the World Wildlife Fund, RSPB and Campaign for the Protection of Rural England no less also think David Cameron’s government is failing to fulfill HIS promises. BBC report dated 19 November 2013 reads: The government is failing to deliver a third of its commitments to protect the…
In a recent BBC2 programme statistical entertainer Hans Rosling demonstrated that you can prove any idea, no matter how bizarre, using statistics. Starting with your desired outcome and then finding statistical support for it may work for commercial business cases but is no way to systematically, scientifically and holistically investigate a proposition as serious as…
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