Ezemvelo
KZN Wildlife strives to mitigate the impact of
Climate Change on the Earth through conservation,
partnerships and ecotourism.
Ezemvelo is entrusted with the
long-term conservation of the province’s
rich biodiversity for the people of South Africa
and other interested parties worldwide.
In the 100 years of formal conservation
in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the various
departments and statutory organisations that evolved
into today`s Ezemvelo have received many formal
awards and words of praise for the quality of
their service to conservation and for the high
standard of management of the province's biodiversity.
Ezemvelo is internationally recognised
for white rhino and sea turtle conservation
and for its community
conservation outreach programmes.
Ezemvelo has been building stronger bonds
with communities sustainably deriving benefits
from protected areas. Many initiatives now focus
on low income communities in close proximity to
the protected areas and attempt to provide basic
skills training and finances to bread winners
in rural households.
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Subsistence use from Protected Areas
benefits more than 50 000 impoverished
people through basic livelihood needs. |
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Household benefit beyond individuals
as small-scale commercial use of natural
resources from both in and outside
protected areas, benefits thousands
more people through money & meat
provision. |
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Recreational non-consumptive use
benefits all citizens by providing
activities and usable areas. |
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The SA and KZN economies
benefit through job and revenue generation. |
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Recreational consumptive
use provides both South African citizens
and foreign tourists with leisure
activities, creates employment, and
supports local economies. |
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Traditional medicine
benefits most citizens of KZN in a
cost-effective but informal manner
as “western” medicines
remains largely inaccessible and unaffordable
to the poor. |
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World
Heritage Sites
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park and
the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park have
been declared World Heritage
Sites and their careful ecosystems
are entrusted to the care of the organisation.
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park along
with uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and
Ndumo, are wetlands of international
importance listed as RAMSAR sites.
Locally, the Southern African Crane
Foundation, Timeless Africa and the
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
have recognised the organisation's
contribution to crane conservation,
tourism and the Working for Water
Project. |
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ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE
What is climate change?
Since the industrial revolution, human activities
such as the burning of fossil fuels and
degradation of natural forestshave caused
huge and abnormal amounts of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases to be emitted
into the atmosphere.
The greenhouse gases trap heat and light
from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere
which increases the temperature and has
a negative effect on biodiversity and human
lives. This is known as global warming or
climate change.
What are
greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases are gases in the earths’
atmosphere that collect heat and light from
the sun – namely, carbon dioxide,
water vapour, nitrous oxide and methane.
Due to human activities the production of
these gases has increased immensely in the
20th Century and if not mitigated will continue
to increase exponentially.
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What is the
effect of Climate Change on the environment?
Climate Change has a negative effect
on the environment in which we live.
For instance, the increase in temperature
is causing the polar ice caps to melt,
this in turn leads to a rise in sea
levels which leads to the degradation
of habitat and possible resultant
extinction of polar bears and other
species. It could also cause flooding
of low level islands and coastal towns
on main lands.
Due to climate change, extreme weather
conditions are taking place more often.
Changes in rainfall patterns are causing
both flooding and drought. Drought
increases the risk of wildfires, water
and food shortages while floods damage
properties and crops and cause diseases
such as cholera and malaria, among
others.
What is the
Ozone Layer Depletion?
The ozone layer is the layer in the
earth’s atmosphere which absorbs
97-99% of the sun’s high frequency
ultraviolet light which is damaging
to any life on earth. |
Ozone depletion describes two phenomena
observed since the late 1970’s: a
steady decline of about 4% per decade in
the total volume of the ozone layer and
the occurrence of the ozone hole during
springtime over the earth’s Polar
Regions. Man-made gasses such as CFC’s
are responsible for this depletion. Reducing
the production of these gases is critical.
WHAT CAUSES
GLOBAL WARMING?
POLLUTION
The increase in the earth’s
temperature is a direct consequence of increased
pollution. To ensure the future of our planet
we all need to reduce pollution.
Water:
Water is critical to the survival of the
earth.
At present, about 40% of the world’s
population experience water shortages. Water
is a limited resource and we need to use
it wisely and not waste it. Water pollution,
from leaking sewerage, to industrial effluent,
human contamination, insecticides and herbicides,
are some of the biggest threats to our fresh
water supply.
Air:
Air pollution is made up of the fine particles
in the air that can cause harm to the environment.
Some of these are natural pollutants from
volcanoes and wildfires. Many are as a result
of human interventions such as industrial
waste, destroying of forests, emissions
from modes of transport and burning of toxic
substances amongst others.
Soil:
Healthy fertile soil and proper environmental
management give us clean water, good crops
and forests, diverse wildlife and beautiful
landscapes. Soil is also the habitat of
many creatures critical to maintaining the
balance in biodiversity. Soil pollution
is caused by littering, chemicals, sewage
leakage, industrial waste, excessive livestock
manures, toxic waste such as batteries etc.
These pollutants kill many essential organisms
affecting the soil structure therefore reducing
the creation of humus in the soil.
Ecosystems:
The plants, animals and microorganisms
that are found in a particular location
are referred to as an ecosystem. These
plants and animals depend on each
other and their interaction with the
weather, soil, sun and atmosphere
to survive. Ecosystems include wetlands,
forests, savannahs, and grasslands,
marine and other habitats on earth.
In fact, the earth’s whole surface
can be seen as a series of interconnected
ecosystems forming a delicate balance.
Upsetting this balance could lead
to the collapse of an ecosystem and
domino effect on other areas. As an
example, consider what happens when
a new plant or animal is introduced
into an ecosystem where it did not
before exist.
The new organisms, or alien species,
compete with the natural organisms,
or indigenous species, from that location
for available resources. The aliens
can push the indigenous species out,
causing them to become extinct. This
can then affect other organisms that
depended on the extinct organisms
as a source of food.
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