A major challenge in evolutionary science has been the reconstruction of the evolution of language in the world. Given that language does not fossilise, a key line of research has been focusing on comparing the communication systems of animals with that of humans. Unique to human language is the capacity to flexibly recombine a limited…
Akashinga or The Brave Ones, is a conservation anti-poaching unit founded on the principles of women’s empowerment as the main driver for social, economic and environmental change. Despite their worldly anti-poaching popularity, what makes Akashinga tilt the scale of Zimbabwe’s perceived gender roles, to bravely defeat poachers and bravely face their own cultural values? The…
Poaching rare wildlife for teeth, tusks, fur, horns and other body parts is a crime which threatens many species with extinction, but the evidence which could incriminate traffickers is often difficult to access, hard to interpret, or piecemeal. To discover more about the criminal networks sustaining this trade, researchers in the US, Kenya and Singapore…
In one of the first studies of its kind, our innovative Community Camera Trapping Programme demonstrates how local communities monitor their own wildlife populations through camera traps. Our team is using camera trap distance sampling to develop conservation strategies for critically endangered species. Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: logging, poaching, overexploitation and…
The African Conservation Foundation (ACF) has officially become an Actor for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The partnership recognises ACF’s critical role to build capacity for conservation and ecosystem restoration in Africa – engaging local NGOs and communities – for people, nature, and our climate. Led by the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP)and Food and…
Created by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, The Earthshot Prize has led an unprecedented global search for the most inspiring and innovative solutions to the greatest environmental challenges facing the 750 nominations received across every continent from diverse coalition of over 200 nominators; rigorous selection process lasting 10 months, 15 inaugural Finalists – from…
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…
Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered evidence that giraffes are a highly socially complex species. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to have little or no social structure, and only fleeting, weak relationships. However in the last ten years, research has shown that giraffe social organisation is much more advanced than once thought. In a paper…