On March 28th, 2023, the Nigerian Senate granted approval for the creation of 10 new National Parks within the country. The decision was made following the adoption of a motion on the National Park declaration Order 22, which was presented by Sen. Gobir Abdullahi (APC-Sokoto) during plenary. Abdullahi explained that President Muhammadu Buhari had sent…
In the past weeks, we have seen many headlines about the Democratic Republic of Congo government’s decision to auction 27 oil and 3 gas blocks in some of the most biodiverse areas of this vast country. National and international civil society organisations are warning about the environmental damage this could cause to peatlands, to National…
A University of Cape Town (UCT) study set out to investigate the effect of climate change on the breeding success of southern yellow-billed hornbills in the Kalahari Desert found that they could be wiped out by 2027. The study found that the breeding success of the hornbills collapsed over a decade-long monitoring period (2008 –…
Bonn, 15 September 2021– The taking of animals for wild meat consumption within national borders is having significant impacts on most terrestrial species protected under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), according to a new report released today. The report is the first of its kind and covered 105…
Tropical forests are well known for being the “lungs” of our planet. Through photosynthesis, the trees in these forests produce oxygen and remove enormous amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate global warming. The world’s most famous tropical forests found on lowlands, like those of the Amazon or Borneo, are celebrated for…
The COVID-19 pandemic, affecting all countries, with millions of cases and deaths, and economic disruptions due to lockdowns, also threatens the health and conservation of endangered mountain gorillas. For example, increased poaching due to absence of tourism income, led to the killing on 1st June 2020 of a gorilla by a hungry community member hunting…
Climate activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have expressed strong opposition to plans for oil exploration in the Virunga National Park. In a short film dubbed ‘Fossil Free Virunga’, that was released by 350Africa.org worldwide today, the activists raised concerns with the environmental impacts, as well as the impact to local communities’ livelihoods. The…
Tourists could be spreading the virus causing COVID-19 to wild mountain gorillas by taking selfies with the animals without following precautions. Researchers from Oxford Brookes University examined 858 photos posted on Instagram from 2013-2019 under two hashtags — #gorillatrekking and #gorillatracking — and found most gorilla trekking tourists were close enough to the animals, without…
Oxford University study leads cutting-edge scientific and historic analysis of elephant tusks found in shipwrecked cargo. OXFORD, 17 December 2020 – An international team has discovered the origin of the largest cargo of African ivory found from the oldest shipwreck in southern Africa. The discovery of a 16th-century shipwreck has, with the aid of advanced scientific…
The African Conservation Foundation (ACF) is delighted and honoured to partner with the Royal Foundation of HRH The Duke of Cambridge and other global leaders to support the Earthshot Prize and tackle the environmental challenges we all face. ACF has been selected as a nominator for the Earthshot Prize. Recently launched by Prince William, the Earthshot…