By Staff Writer EVERY YEAR, billions of birds representing more than 100 species complete an epic journey to spend the southern summer in South Africa. They escape freezing winters in Europe and Asia, or fly from other parts of Africa to chase the seasonal rains and warm weather. These incredible long-distance travelers start arriving in […]
Continue readingecosystem restoration
Biodiversity recovery in Dutch fresh water turning back into decline
The recovery of Dutch freshwater nature is faltering. Environmental policy bore fruit for years, but in several areas, the upward trend has stalled or is even heading in the wrong direction again. “Biodiversity recovery in streams and rivers has turned into decline,” warn the World Wildlife Fund… Read more in NL Times…
Continue readingThe Future of Forests
By Richard Heinberg, originally published by Resilience.org Our species’ origin and destiny are entangled with the roots and branches of trees. We evolved in and around trees, and we’ve learned to breed and plant them for their fruit, nuts, wood, and blossoms, taking their seeds with us as we migrated-hence the English walnut, native to […]
Continue readingDon’t just plant trees, plant forests to restore biodiversity for the future
By John Parker, Senior Scientist in Community Ecology, Smithsonian Institution; Justin Nowakowski, Senior Scientist in Spatial Ecology and Conservation, Smithsonian Institution. First published in The Conversation on 20 April 2026 Around the world, people plan to plant more than 1 trillion trees this decade in an ambitious effort to slow climate change and reduce biodiversity […]
Continue readingEnergy: A Reader
by GST Staff This solar farm lets cattle roam under moving panels SILICON RANCH HAS BROUGHT something online commercially that you don’t see every day: a utility-scale solar farm where cattle graze under moving panels. The Nashville-based developer has launched its new “CattleTracker” system at the Christiana Solar Ranch in Tennessee. It’s the first commercial […]
Continue readingBioregioning Is Our Future
By Richard Heinberg, Resilience Lately I’ve been reading Andrew Schelling’s Tracks Along the Left Coast, a biography of linguist, anthropologist, and anarchist Jaime de Angulo (1887-1950). De Angulo was a character worth knowing about. His affluent Spanish parents gave him a civilized upbringing in fashionable Paris; nevertheless, he had a wild streak. So, before he […]
Continue readingCape Town’s wildflowers are a world treasure: six insights from a new checklist
By Dian Spear – Senior research scientist, Stellenbosch University; Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp – Research associate, Stellenbosch University; Patricia Holmes – Plant ecologist, Stellenbosch University; Ronell R Klopper – Extraordinary Lecturer, University of Pretoria; Tony Rebelo – Scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute. First published in The Conversation on 11 February 2026 CAPE TOWN, IN SOUTH […]
Continue readingNamibia and Angola’s remote Ovahimba mountains reveal a haven for unique plants – new survey
By Vera De Cauwer, Associate Professor Natural Resource Management, Namibia University of Science and Technology. First published in The Conversation on October 19, 2023 The Kaokoveld region, covering north-western Namibia and south-western Angola, is one of the remotest areas in southern Africa. Although it’s extremely dry, it is a centre of species endemism: many species […]
Continue readingMaintaining natural resilience for a sustainable future
By Prof Leon Hugo, former head of the Department of Geography at Pretoria University. First published in Environatics.co.za Nature maintains a delicate balance between growth and decay. For instance, trees in a forest perpetually grow, yet the total biomass of the forest remains constant. This chapter will delve into the control mechanisms, that serve as […]
Continue readingClearing alien trees can help reduce climate change impact on Cape Town’s water supply
By Petra Brigitte Holden – Researcher, University of Cape Town; Alanna Rebelo – Senior Researcher, Agricultural Research Council; Joyce Kimutai – Climate Scientist, University of Cape Town; Kamoru Abiodun Lawal – Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Science, University of Cape Town; Mark New – Director, African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town; Piotr […]
Continue reading








