Southern Africa

Southern Africa

Healthy lion populations provide significant ecosystem benefits

A new report supported by African Wildlife Foundation and others details the valuable ecosystem services provided by "lionscapes," or landscapes in which lions thrive as apex predators.

Lionscapes offer a larger than average share of:

  • direct benefits such as water and food security
  • supporting services such as photosynthesis, soil formation, and nutrient cycling
  • regulating services such as soil stability and carbon storage
  • cultural value in the recreational, historical, aesthetic, and even spiritual realms

 

South Africa

South Africa is one of the world’s most diverse countries.

The Republic of South Africa is in the southernmost region of the continent. Its long coastline stretches along the South Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean for more than 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles). While its coastline is lush, the rest of its geography is vast, flat, sparsely populated, and dry. More than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) south of the mainland lie the Prince Edward Islands, a small sub-Antarctic archipelago.

Mozambique

Balancing Mozambique’s natural beauty and natural resources.

Located on the southeast coast of Africa, the Republic of Mozambique is divided into two regions by the Zambezi River. The north features a narrow coastline, low plateaus, and rugged highlands and the south has broad lowlands. The savannah and dry woodland habitats near the border of South Africa's Kruger National Park are home to elephants, impala, duiker, springbok, kudu, and ostrich.

Zambia

Copper isn’t Zambia’s only rich natural resource.

The Republic of Zambia is located in Southern Africa. Its name comes from the Zambezi river, which flows through parts of the country and also forms its southern border. Zambia has a tropical climate, high plateaus, broad plains, and river valleys.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is facing food and water insecurity.

Officially called the Republic of Zimbabwe, this Southern African country is located between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. Home to 350 species of mammals, more than 500 birds, and 131 fish species, Zimbabwe is mostly grassland, but its mountains give way to tropical and hardwood forests. Zimbabwe supports the second largest population of elephants, important and growing populations of lion and wild dogs, and was once the agricultural breadbasket in Africa.

Botswana

Over half of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Desert, yet it’s one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The Republic of Botswana may be one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries, but it also happens to be one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Over the years, it has transformed into a middle-income country with a competitive banking system and a growing mineral industry that accounts for about 40 percent of its GDP.

Rare desert elephants survive Namibia’s harshest drylands

The world’s largest terrestrial mammal is also famed for being notoriously water-dependent. African savannah elephants in temperate rangelands drink water almost daily and love a mudbath to stay cool. Yet, in northern Mali’s Gourma region and the vast Namib Desert, this fascinating pachyderm survives despite the low rainfall and intense heat. These herds, aptly named desert elephants, traverse long distances in brutal arid environments with only seasonal rivers and scant vegetation for sustenance.

Wildlife conservancies are reducing inequalities in Africa

As building blocks for protecting critical wildlife habitats, national parks, reserves, and other protected areas are ecological havens and recognized for their contributions to poverty alleviation, water security, and carbon sequestration. They also provide opportunities for economic development and disaster risk reduction as well as a means of delivering nature-based solutions to climate change. And while recent reports from Africa highlight the strides that African governments have made in designating protected areas, there remain challenges.

Prioritizing African youth revitalizes conservation and sustainable development

Youth are the largest demographic on the African continent — more than 75 percent of the total population is under 35 years. The priorities and behaviors of Africans between age 18-35 must shape the way Africa develops as this group remains vulnerable to risks from sociopolitical instability and the ongoing climate crisis.

Submitted by Liz Kiambi on Fri, 06/14/2019 - 11:24

Remembering Sudan: What the loss of the last male northern white rhino means for all of Africa’s rhinos

By the time he passed away on March 19, 2018, Sudan had spent a decade under 24-hour armed surveillance at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. He was 45 years old — long past his breeding age and suffering painful degenerative changes in his muscles and bones in his final months. The team of expert veterinary doctors monitoring Sudan’s condition took a difficult decision to euthanize him, leaving behind the last of his subspecies: two female northern white rhinos.

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