May News

Professor Leslie Petrik is the Principle Investigator of the South African side of the SANOcean project, a partnership between Norway and South Africa investigating ocean pollution by marine sewage outfalls. Leslie also leads the Environmental and Nano Sciences (ENS) research group, in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), a collaborative partner in the Water Stories website along with Environmental Humanities South, University of Cape Town (UCT). Leslie has been a consistent, calm and important voice calling for concern around the level of contamination by persistent chemical pollutants in our rivers, groundwater and oceans.

With her team, she has been conducting critical scientific research, with many peer reviewed papers backing up her view that our ocean ecosystems are being critically damaged by this rarely talked about form of pollution. She has come under fire from politicians unwilling to admit the scale of the problem, but steadfastly held her ground, and we are honoured to be working with her on Water Stories.

She can be seen in Mark Jackson’s viral hit film Bay of Sewage https://youtu.be/tEh5JpoH9qo and Mycelium’s feature story for the SABC2 environmental show 50/50 on Cape Town’s ocean pollution situation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxyBqR5x_ko.

As a senior woman of science she is an inspiring role model: she was the winner of the prestigious 2017/2018 National Science and Technology Forum NSTF-South32 Water Research Commission Award for an outstanding contribution to science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation. In 2016 she received the Business Women of the Year Award in the Science and Technology Category and in 2015 she received the Water Research Commission Research Awards in the category Transformation and Redress. She has been recognised with the UWC Vice Chancellor’s Annual Distinguished Researcher Award, in the Natural and Medical Sciences for 2012, as well as a Distinguished Women Scientist, in Physical and Engineering Sciences by the Department of Science and Technology in 2012 (NanoTechnology Public Engagement, N.d).

National Geographic’s Planet Possible campaign gets into full swing this World Environment Day weekend, with the premiere of The Grand African Green Up. This documentary profiles the mission of the AFR100 (African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative), as they strive to restore at least 100 million hectares of land by 2030. Showcasing the on-the-ground work being done in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Ghana and Senegal, the documentary features poetic narration by the iconic Kenyan environmentalist and activist, Wanjira Mathai, with breath-taking visuals of the continent’s most awe-inspiring landscapes and vistas, all set to a rousing soundtrack.With deforested and degraded landscapes being a key environmental issue facing the continent, The Grand African Green Up introduces the people directly affected by the deteriorating state of their land, as well as the local heroes who are working to make a difference. Interviewees from across the documented countries showcased include a singer, a bishop, a student researcher, an environmentalist and a journalist, all giving their first-hand perspective on how this issue has impacted them and their communities, the work being done to restore productivity to the land, and what the future holds as a result.

The Grand African Green Up was directed by Safi Graauw and produced as a collaboration between AFR100 and Justdiggit, an organisation that aims to restore nature and to become the illuminating light of nature-based solutions.

Launched in April on Earth Day, Planet Possible is National Geographic’s new multi-platform, multi-year initiative aimed at empowering people to live more lightly on the planet. As the world begins to emerge from the pandemic, the goal with Planet Possible’s storytelling is to inform and encourage consumers to build on the scientific and environmental gains of the past year through content, products and experiences, all aimed at enabling people to discover what they can do to help, to understand the threats to our planet and to imagine new possibilities.

On World Oceans Day, people around our blue planet celebrate and honor our one global ocean, which connects us all. For 2021 World Ocean Day is uniting conservation action to grow the global movement, calling on world leaders to protect at least 30% of our blue planet by 2030. This critical need is called 30×30. By safeguarding at least 30% of our ocean through a network of highly protected areas, we can help ensure a healthy climate and blue planet! https://worldoceanday.org/

LOOK: The United Nations World Ocean Day Photo Competition 2021 will be announced on 8 June, but you can view the winners for 2017-2020 here, including this one from Geo Cloete who was a winner in 2020 with his image from the West Coast of South Africa titled “Waking Up”.

Geo Cloete says: “Tidal pools fascinate me. Where most other environments on Earth operates on a yearly clock following the four seasons, tidal pools follow a twice-daily clock. The creatures who call tidal pools their home, need to be well adapted in order to survive in these very dynamic environments. One such creature is these Sandy anemones (Aulactinia reynaudi).

As the tide drops and the water, which normally covers and protects these anemones, drains away they undergo a drastic change in appearance. They close up into them shelves and shrink into small little blobs which don’t at all resemble the opened anemones in shape or colour. I like to think of it as if they go into a “hibernation stage” for a few hours to protect themselves against the harsh topside elements.

When the tide turns and the crashing waves start to bridge the peripheral of the tidal pools with “fresh” nutrient-rich water, the anemones awake from their hibernation. Now the anemones must rely on their powerful foot muscles, with which they cling to the rocks, in order not to be swept away by the forceful waves and currents. As the tidal pool fills with water over the next few hours, the anemones return to their former colourful state. In full “bloom” the anemones are now ready to capture and feed on any food the waves and the rising tide might sweep past them”.

TO DIARISE: Ocean HackathonOceanHub Africa are inviting you to test an idea or develop a project during Ocean Hackathon 2021, by submitting your concept before 13 June. Benefit from two teams of data scientists and diverse experts to work on turning your next idea/innovation into reality.You’re eligible if:
– You are operating in one of the following industries: aquaculture, fisheries, ocean plastics and maritime transport
– You have successfully developed a proof of concept and proved traction
– You have a new idea/innovation you want to investigate that leverages data and can help your business grow with increased positive environmental impact
Projects will be selected on the following criteria: team, current technology robustness, impact potential of the new idea/innovation, potential business model of the new idea/innovation, social impact potential (including on communities).

TO DIARISE: World Rainforest Day: 22 June

The first World Rainforest Day was launched on 22 June 2017, by Rainforest Partnership, as a collaborative effort to raise awareness and encourage action to protect the world’s rainforests. Rainforests are vital for the survival of life on Earth as they absorb our carbon dioxide, stabilize climate patterns, and are home to half the world’s plant and animal species. Yet every minute, we lose 40 football fields of rainforests, which threatens our biodiversity and imperils our planet’s health. Deforestation causes 15% of global carbon dioxide emissions that accelerate climate change — more than from all cars in the U.S. and China combined. Natural climate solutions like protecting and restoring forests however, could reverse global emissions by a third. World Rainforest Day celebrates this precious natural resource and encourages action to preserve it. Your efforts, together with the actions of others, will have a positive impact on rainforests and the climate worldwide. Read more

ACTION POINT: Find your carbon footprint with Global Forest Fund’s CO2 calculator.

The world is facing an unprecedented crisis, significant environmental degradation, deepening social inequality and economic collapse. These interlinked crises are exacerbated by man-made climate change. We will only overcome these challenges and be able to bring about a sustainable and regenerative world by working together to rebuild our connections and relationships with natural systems, and with each other. Mycelium is a collaboration of multi-media content creators focused on showing what a sustainable and regenerative world could look like, and how to get there. We do this by raising awareness and showcasing examples, and by growing the number of practitioners able to support this mission.Our values are based on those of the

International Co-operative Alliance: self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. We also embrace the values of collaboration, honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. Our value system acknowledges the need to combat the significant levels of inequality in South Africa, particularly those related to race and gender. We have chosen to work through the cooperative model because it offers economies of scale and scope, increased bargaining power, a space for learning, and the ability to offer value to our members and broader society.