Opinion Editorial Archives - Africa Geographic

Comment – teamAG – Friday 22 October 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 15 October 2021

Covid- 19: Devastating impacts, inspiring recovery

COVID-19 has caused a systemic shock to the tourism sector in Africa. The majority of tourism companies have reduced staff and cut pay with seismic repercussions for conservation and local livelihoods.

Comment – teamAG – Friday 08 October 2021

The great African fencing debate

African conservationists are engaged in a furious fencing debate – should protected areas be fenced to conserve wildlife such as lions?

Comment – teamAG – Friday 01 October 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 24 September 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 17 September 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 10 September 2021

Hunting and photo tourism – where to from here?

Which of hunting and photo tourism is better for conservation, or are they both failing to deliver? Michael Schwartz asks and answers

Comment – teamAG – Friday 03 September 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 27 August 2021

Leopard conservation in South Africa

Leopard conservation in South Africa requires a metapopulation strategy and a sustained, transparent commitment from government – expert opinion

Comment – teamAG – Friday 20 August 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 13 August 2021

Comment – teamAG – Friday 06 August 2021

CEO note: Another giant elephant hunted

Another giant elephant trophy hunted – is this conservation?

Another giant elephant shot in Botswana. What are the consequences for elephants, local communities, and hunting operations?

CEO note: The ‘elephant problem’

CEO note: Okavango oil scam | Luangwa Valley | Rebranding wild dogs

CEO note: Elephants & oranges – Greater Kruger context

Casketts citrus farm and Greater Kruger are now bedfellows

The Casketts citrus farm on the Greater Kruger border is here to stay. We consider the context and settle a few rumours and untruths

Casketts citrus farm debate

Casketts citrus farm on Greater Kruger border – conservationist Trevor Jordan provides some context in this opinion post

CEO note: Safari tips + Kili ice & otters

CEO note: And the winners are …

CEO note: Finalists!

The end of SA’s shameful lion breeding industry – what now happens to the lions?

Thousands of captive-bred lions in South Africa – what is to happen to them as breeding facilities are closed down

Under immediate threat: Zambia’s Kasanka NP and world’s largest mammal migration

Threat to the world’s largest mammal migration – The buffer zone of Kasanka National Park is under threat from commercial agriculture

CEO note: Top 101 pics + Botswana rhino poaching

Rhino poaching in Botswana – why the smoke and mirrors?

Rhino poaching in Botswana – we try to make sense of the rumours and our CEO asks why the smoke and mirrors?

CEO note: Entries closed + behind the conservation scenes

CEO note: Failure + spring-loaded cat + best pics

CEO note: Free at last + land of grey giants + best pics

CEO note: Success | trophy hunting data | Amboseli

CEO note: Lions | lions | lions

CEO note: Hope 4 elephants | Mundari | safari tips

CEO note: Lions vs giraffes | parrot voodoo | Gorongosa

CEO note: Elephants – good & bad news

CEO note: Makeup monkey + elephant hunting

CEO note: ‘Problem’ lions + Africa’s 11 dog species

CEO note: Question: Largest mammal migration on Earth?

CEO note: More shades of grey + Laikipia + jumbo ID

CEO note: Just in case + fences & elephants

Do fences stop elephant migration in Botswana?

Dr Erik Verreynne discusses the claim that fences are an underlying cause of the elephant mortalities in NG11/12 in 2020 in Botswana. His assessment, based on observation of elephants, the habitat and the actual state of the fences, concludes that there is little evidence to suggest fences stop elephant migration in Seronga or that they had a measurable effect on the 2020 die-off.

CEO note: Diamonds, rhino horn and elephant auctions

CEO note: Epic images + livestock loss compensation

CEO note: Hukumuri – the furore

CEO note: A poached rhino carcass & the takeaway food wrappers

CEO note: Those dead elephants + hyena shenanigans + best pics

CEO note: Kruger rhinos crash + best pics

CEO note: Gold rush + sordid past + ancient walled kingdom

CEO note: Best pics + Africa’s rarest parrot + jumbos from space

CEO note: A story about perspective

CEO note: Boycott Africa + elephants vs villagers

Boycott Africa – good intentions with unfortunate consequences?

Boycott Africa! is the demand by some who dislike the wildlife policies adopted by some African countries. Is boycott bad for conservation?

Key Questions for Human-Elephant Conflict Research

Managing elephants amongst rural villages is challenging where elephant populations are increasing due to successful conservation practises

CEO note: Extinction business + 2 success stories

CEO note: Frack the Okavango + arch enemies + Gorongosa

CEO note: Crafty strategy + great news + rhino facts

CEO note: Free at last + Hwange + the edge

CEO note: Reality check + another ‘problem’ elephant killed

CEO note: Captive-bred lion hunting not ‘fair chase’ + Lost & found

CEO note: Perfect storm alert + Mana Pools

CEO note: Strawberry leopard + here be dragons + living next door to a poacher

Ignorant complicity amongst some safari guides

This refreshingly honest opinion editorial looks at eco-ethics amongst safari guides as they go about finding animals for guests

The great elephant balancing act

Elephants are amazing animals and a favourite for holidaymakers on safari. BUT meeting an elephant at night near your home can be terrifying

Lion farming – Lord Ashcroft submission to South African High Level Panel

Lion farming presentation by Lord Ashcroft to the High-Level Panel looking at the management of lions and other species in South Africa

Lion trophy hunting – we interview Craig Packer

We interview researcher and conservationist Craig Packer about lion trophy hunting – with a focus on Tanzania, his former home

Rhino poaching stats 2020 – more shades of grey

Rhino poaching for 2020 is lower because of the COVID-19 lockdown – although SA Minister claims the victory for her team

Kruger roan antelope deaths by neglect – more of the same, says informant

Roan antelope in Kruger breeding camps are dying due to neglect, with reasons varying from dehydration to disease – here are the facts

Change is coming to the safari industry

This story is about how technology and human nature are shaping the future of your dream hand-crafted safari – is that a good thing?

Lion cubs to bones – we interview Lord Ashcroft about ‘UNFAIR GAME’

We spoke to Lord Ashcroft about his book UNFAIR GAME – a must-read exposé of South Africa’s morally bankrupt captive lion breeding industry

Can CITES be fixed? Practical suggestions that make sense are being ignored

CITES is failing to protect species from too much international trade. Here are some practical solutions to CITES problems

Battle for the soul of conservation – compassion vs biology

An academic war of words has been waged in the field of conservation science over the seemingly innocuous term ‘compassionate conservation’

COVID-19 safari during lockdown: we test-drive

What will a Covid-19 safari be like under South Africa’s lockdown rules? We test-drive a lockdown safari in Timbavati, Greater Kruger

Rhino horn trade – Tourism & conservation leaders lobby SA minister Creecy

Rhino horn trade: submission to the advisory committee of South Africa’s Minister of the Environment Barbara Creecy about trade

Safari lodges – surviving the Covid-19 lockdown

Covid-19 lockdown: We spoke to several African safari lodge owners to better understand the economic impact and their future plans

Kevin Richardson, the ‘Lion Whisperer’ – hard questions and frank replies

Kevin Richardson, AKA ‘Lion Whisperer – some hard questions and frank replies about his public shows of affection for his captive lions

Farming wild animals – is China the model for South Africa?

Farming wild animals is a big industry in South Africa but not near the Chinese scale. Should SA follow China’s lead, as it seems to be doing?

NEWSDESK: Blanket wildlife trade bans + SA venison market & zoonotic disease + call to halt big cat bone trade

Newsdesk: Blanket wildlife trade bans + SA venison market & zoonotic disease + call to halt big cat bone trade

Coronavirus has finally made us recognise that illegal wildlife trade is a public health issue

The global Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic may prove to be an important moment in the attempts to address the illegal wildlife trade.

COVID-19: Will African governments now crackdown on illegal wildlife trade?

With COVID-19 killing people and wrecking economies, will African governments at last treat wildlife trade as a serious issue?

Latest rhino poaching stats: shades of grey

Rhino poaching stats released by South African government do not tell the true story of how dire the situation is, say STROOP team

Trophy hunting: rural communities respond

Opinion: Rural communities are the custodians of African wildlife and deserve to have their voices heard in the trophy hunting debate.

Victoria Falls drying up? Fake news versus fact

Victoria Falls is not running dry, despite what some international news media keep telling us. Here are the facts.

Communities delivering conservation impact & wildlife recoveries

Opinion: Communities are delivering significant conservation results equivalent to those of government parks and reserves.

Elephants in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Conservation needs diversified approaches – opinion

Scientists suggest alternative land-use models to trophy hunting – models that are more inclusive of local people.

Leopard hunting: CITES quotas not sustainable, say researchers

CITES trophy hunting quotas for leopards are arbitrary and not sustainable, says research. Read here to find what the 3 researchers recommend.

Smoked baby chimpanzee on hotel menu, says NGO

Smoked baby chimpanzee on the menu at prominent DRC hotel, says NGO.

Opinion: Zimbabwe’s shameful export of baby elephants under the guise of ‘sustainable use’

Opinion: Export of baby Zimbabwe elephants to China in defiance of CITES is shameful, and makes a mockery of ‘sustainable use’.

Katavi National Park takes radical action on hippos

Opinion by biologist: Controversial dam being built in Tanzania’s remote Katavi National Park to save hippos may have negative environmental consequences.

Opinion: Trophy hunting is not all black and white, says conservation biologist

Trophy hunting: Conservation biologist explains the complexity of the situation in a remote area of Tanzania, calls for reason and practical solutions that work on the ground.

Opinion: How hunting black rhino contributes to conservation in Namibia

Black rhino hunts benefit conservation of our rhinos – opinion post by conservationist, on behalf of 64 Namibian conservation organisations.

Crunch time as Zambia’s Lower Zambezi NP comes under mining threat

Will Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia be mined? The courts will decide soon whether to allow the proposed controversial open-cast copper mine inside the park. The decision on whether it will go ahead will be handed down on 14 October by the High Court of Zambia in Lusaka.