African Wildlife and Environment Issue 66

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GENERAL

EDITORIAL

Dr John Ledger

Welcome to issue 66 of African Wildlife & Environment which contains a feast of good reading. We also have a bumper crop of letters from readers, indicating that very strong views are held about some of the more controversial viewpoints that were aired in issue 65. As usual we bring you a variety of articles and features that will provide much interesting reading, with some good news stories and superb photographs. From the letters, it is clear that the divide between those who would like to see a legal trade in rhino horn and those that do not, remains deep and intractable. In the interests of providing our readers with both sides of the picture, we publish a pro-trade article by Michael Eustace. Never mind where you stand, the ongoing loss of life, both animal and human, is appalling. InMichael’s words, “all the killing is absurd.” Something else is absurd too – the shocking levels of corruption that stretch deep into every facet of life in our ‘captured country’. A simple Google search will remind you that very public and accessible allegations about our highest state security official having close contact with a known rhino horn dealer, have never been disproven, or even investigated (see www.aljazeera.com/ investigations/the-poachers-pipeline/ ). The public largely believes that the main poachers in the Kruger National Park and KZN are the ragged and desperate boys from Mozambique. Not the smartly dressed guys in the bustling towns on the western border of the Kruger Park, with the nice cars and lots of money, known to everyone, but protected by those right at the top and operating a culture of terminal intimidation. Just the silly ramblings of a war-weary Editor? – Probably just that…move along now… Dr Eckart Schumann’s fascinating account of the ever-changing, massive, and yet natural remodelling of the estuaries on our ‘high energy’ coastline will remind you of the power of nature. Moving 500,000 cubic meters of sand is all in a day’s work for Mother Nature! Bryan Havemann entertains us again in this issue with more game ranger stories, this time about those ‘big and hairies’ of the African bush. One has to love Bryan’s writing style: The bull ran round and joined the breeding herd and they trumpeted and growled their displeasure, deciding on how they would be turning us into human pizzas or flattening us into human pancakes.

And then we have the adventures of Nick Evans, who enjoys nothing more than rescuing Black Mambas which find themselves in people’s houses around Durban. This man just loves these big and scary snakes, and I would certainly want him by my side if ever a mamba showed up at my place! Not likely in Joburg, I guess, but all you folks down Durban way should have Nick’s phone number at hand (speed-dialling recommended!). Dr Anthony Turton’s regular column on various aspects of water management is always an eye opener. We have features on bird-atlassing, Geographic Information Systems, water in the garden, and even a rather sad story about Angola, where wildlife conservation and the once unrivalled protected areas and biodiversity of that magnificent country have been all but lost through lack of interest, corruption and inappropriate government policies. Dr Brian Huntley has just published his book on the subject which makes for tough reading. It is remarkable that two neighbouring countries in our region have had such vastly different post-colonial conservation histories, with Angola taking the Low Road, and Namibia taking the High Road. Please enjoy your magazine, and thank you for your much appreciated support of WESSA.

Page 46 Green Coast Award

Dr John Ledger Consulting Editor john.ledger@wol.co.za

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