Period Poverty is real. Period equity should be too

Dr Jenny Botha, the EWT’s People in Conservation Programme Manager

Despite the progress made in making menstrual products available to school-going girls, approximately seven million girls in South Africa still suffer from what has been coined “period poverty”, as they don’t have access to enough menstrual products each month, according to Candice Chirwa, a prominent South African gender advisor.

Sanitary pads are expensive and can be difficult to access, particularly in remote rural areas. Under these circumstances, girls often have to make do with pads made from material or cloth, tissues or toilet paper, and other materials, many of which are not hygienic and cause the girls embarrassment and a loss of dignity and confidence. Some girls may avoid attending school on days they have their periods, hampering their education and limiting future economic prospects¹. In addition, despite efforts by educators and the Dept of Basic Education to address this, many girls still also lack access to crucial information about their bodies and women’s hygiene and health, including the types of menstrual products that they could potentially choose from. Ending period poverty and ensuring girls have access to the information they need is an important step towards achieving gender equity.

Palesa Pads Menstruation Kit containing three reusable sanitary pads, a bucket, washing powder, and other cleaning materials

In May 2023, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) held awareness sessions on women’s health together with educators from two secondary schools in Kutama, Limpopo Province and, through the generous support of the Ford Motor Company Fund and the Ford Wildlife Fund, provided 635 girls with sanitary health kits. Each kit included three reusable sanitary pads, a bucket, washing powder, and other cleaning materials. In addition, thanks to generous sponsors like EMLife and Palesa Pads, we gave twenty women working at the schools packs of three reusable sanitary pads each.

Apart from the emotional and psychological difficulties experienced by girls unable to cope with their periods, the environmental impacts of single-use sanitary products are high. In the United Kingdom, an estimated 3.3 billion single-use sanitary products (pads or tampons) are used each year, resulting in 28,114 tonnes of waste², most of which is disposed of in landfills, with the remainder being flushed into sewage systems, often causing blockages. Although there is a move towards more sustainable multi-use, organic products, most still contain plastic or rayon and use harsh chemicals during manufacturing.

In South Africa, girls often have difficulties disposing of single-use pads, and resource-poor schools frequently struggle with a lack of facilities, particularly in rural areas. If incinerators are provided, learners may be reluctant to use them, or they may not work, particularly during power outages. Disposing of sanitary products such as one-use pads and nappies in the environment has become a major cause for concern in under-served communities across South Africa, potentially increasing risks to human health and undermining the environment and biodiversity. Although the latter risk may appear relatively unimportant in light of the other substantial challenges facing South Africa and the world, the severity and impacts of biodiversity loss and potential ecosystem collapse are high and thankfully becoming increasingly recognised as a global threat. In the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Risk Assessment, biodiversity and ecosystem loss was ranked as the fourth most severe risk facing society over the next ten years.

Specific impacts of our recent Women’s Health project

The average woman who uses single-use sanitary products will go through between 11,000 and 17,000 sanitary pads or other disposable sanitary products in their lifetime at a cost of between R27,500 and R42,500 at current prices in South Africa. In contrast, reusable sanitary pads last 3-5 years and cost R50 each, depending on the make. The reusable sanitary pads we provided the girls in Kutama can be used up to 200 times if adequately cared for³. This means that the three pads given to each girl replace 600 single-use disposable pads that would otherwise have been disposed of in toilets, domestic waste, or the environment, equating to 471,000 single-use pads (if each of the 785 girls uses them). In addition, the girls from both schools also received two reusable pads in 2021, meaning that the majority received five pads each. In the 2021 women’s health project, over 90% of the 71 girls who gave us feedback through an anonymous and voluntary survey reported using the pads.

In August 2023, we will be providing an additional 150 girls from a third Kutama school with reusable sanitary pads, and we are going to expand the project to different areas in South Africa, including some of the most remote and under-served communities the EWT works with through our different programmes. More exciting activities are planned for the project, so keep an eye on our platforms for more on how we hope to contribute to period equity.

Thank you to the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Ford Wildlife Foundation, EMLife, and Palesa Pads for supporting the project.

[1] Crankshaw T.L., Strauss M. and Gumede B. 2020. Menstrual health management and schooling experience amongst female learners in Gauteng, South Africa: a mixed method study. Reproductive Health 17:48 p.15.

[2] Panell A.G. Blair, Y. Bajón -fernández, R. Villa. 2022. An exploratory study of the impact and potential of menstrual hygiene management waste in the U.K. Cleaner Engineering and Technology 7: p7.

[3] https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/entrepreneurs/washable-reusable-pads-keep-thousands-of-girls-in-school-14fecafb-fdc3-4ca1-937e-d72e1fcef9d4

Following a stork named Fill

Dr Lindy Thompson and John Davies (EWT Birds of Prey Programme) and Jonah Gula (University of KwaZulu-Natal)

In January 2023, Lindy Thompson and John Davies (from the EWT’s Birds of Prey Programme) joined UKZN PhD student Jonah Gula for fieldwork in the Lowveld. Jonah aimed to trap four Marabou Storks and fit them with tracking devices as part of his PhD project, but first, he needed to find a site with large numbers of Marabous. We suggested he try the vulture feeding site at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, where many Marabous congregate daily. Moholoholo kindly permitted us to work on their land. We arrived early on the first morning and set our traps, with Jonah squeezed into John’s tiny hide and Lindy and John waiting nearby in a vehicle to assist when needed. And so, we waited. The Marabous proved to be much more wily birds than we initially gave them credit for. They were highly suspicious of our trap, approaching it cautiously, skirting it carefully, and rushing enthusiastically to the food on the other side. This happened repeatedly, and on one occasion, when it seemed like a Marabou might walk unwittingly into our trap, a family of warthogs would suddenly appear walking in the same direction. We could not risk catching a warthog piglet by mistake, so we would have to rush towards the trap to scare away the piglets and, in turn, the Marabous.

After a few unsuccessful days of trying to trap Marabous at Moholoholo, John suggested we try a different location. So we headed to Phalaborwa to check out a landfill site friends had told us about. We drove in and saw dozens of Marabous standing on the giant mounds of rubbish. The birds were slowly walking in amongst the garbage pickers, and everyone (people and birds alike) was bent over and slowly picking through pieces of trash. We felt the fact that these birds seemed much more tame might help us when trying to trap them. And so we set our trap, and again we waited at a respectful distance, sitting in the vehicle as the temperatures soared into the high thirties, waiting for some Marabous to walk towards our trap. After a few hours in the car, Jonah decided a little more encouragement was needed, and he hopped out of the bakkie and started trying to herd the Marabous towards our trap. Immediately these intelligent birds knew what he was up to, and most of the flock flew up, over the trap, and away. A few hours later, after more waiting and some more of Jonah’s persistent herding, a few birds flew towards the trap and landed there. I drove closer to Jonah so he could hop into the vehicle, and we edged closer to the trap. After a few minutes, Jonah leapt out and ran towards the trap. After 11 hours of waiting at the landfill that day, we had caught our first Marabou!

UKZN PhD student Jonah Gula is seen optimistically preparing his equipment for the morning’s trapping session at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. © L. Thompson
After we finally caught our first Marabou, workers kindly helped us to hold the bird, one holding the legs and the other holding the bill, while Jonah fitted the tracking device. The table from our Alu-Cab canopy came in very handy for this work. © L. Thompson
Marabous have a quirky and carefree hairstyle, as modelled here by ‘Fill’. © L. Thompson
‘Fill’ the Marabou Stork (left), with the white transmitter visible on his back, after being released. © L. Thompson

Jonah gently and firmly restrained the bird, and I asked two workers to please come and assist us as Marabous are large birds, and it takes many pairs of hands to hold them. With their help, Jonah calmly fitted the tracking device using a chest harness. A few minutes later, Jonah tucked the bird under his arm, walked a little way away from where we were working, and let the bird go. We were ecstatic to have caught our first Marabou, which Jonah named ‘Fill’ after the landfill site. We stayed at the landfill until dusk to ensure that Fill was looking comfortable and moving normally with his new tracking device, and when everything seemed fine, we finally headed off home.

Since Fill was tagged, we know he has used other waste sites, such as landfills and a slaughterhouse in Polokwane, but we hope to know more about his successes and failures rummaging in the rubbish. We look forward to following his movements and reading about Jonah’s results in the years to come.

We are extremely grateful to the staff and management of Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Phalaborwa Landfill Site for their kind support of Jonah’s work. We are thankful for our Ford Wildlife Foundation vehicle and Alu-Cab canopy, both essential to this fieldwork. This work was conducted with a Limpopo research permit from LEDET (permit no. ZA/LP/1156110).

Jonah has already published two papers on Marabou Storks, and you can find the details in the Reference List below. You can also find him on Twitter at @JonahGula. We wish him all the best with his studies.

Reference List:

Gula, J. and Barlow, C.R. 2022. Decline of the Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) in West Africa and the need for immediate conservation action. African Journal of Ecology 61:102-117. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13087

Gula, J., Clay Green, M., Fritts, S., Dean, W.R.J. and Gopi Sundar, K.S. 2022. Assessments of range-wide distribution of six African storks and their relationships with protected areas. Ostrich 93: 34-52. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2045642

Cycads: Prehistoric plants in peril

CYCADS: PROTECTING PREHISTORIC PLANTS IN PERIL

Dr Kerushka Pillay, the EWT’s Wildlife in Trade Programme

Cycads are ancient seed plants (or gymnosperms) that date back to the Jurassic period. The illegal harvesting of wild plants and habitat destruction severely threaten these prehistoric plants. Worryingly, many cycads are Critically Endangered, and others are extinct in the wild, meaning none are left within their natural range. They only occur when planted in controlled environments like botanical and private gardens. Efforts are underway to protect and conserve these plants, and a significant component of this work focuses on reducing the illegal trade in wild cycads.

Cycads are considered long-lived and slow growing, and these traits make them vulnerable to the impacts of poaching, as adults are not quickly replaced. Cycads are characterised by being dioecious, meaning that different individual plants either have male or female reproductive parts (conspicuous large cones). Cycads are also considered prehistoric because they lack some advanced features modern plants possess, such as flowers and fruits. Cycads reproduce sexually, where a male cone produces pollen, leading to the pollination of fertile seeds produced by female cones. Cycads can also reproduce asexually without pollination by forming “suckers” on the “mother” plant. Cycads display characteristics that resemble palms, with a stout and woody trunk and a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen, and usually pinnate leaves. If you are unsure whether you are looking at a cycad or a different plant, here is a poster that will help you identify cycads.

South Africa is a hotspot for cycad diversity with 38 indigenous species (37 species of Encephalartos and one species of Stangeria), which account for over 10% of the world’s cycads. Encephalartos species, each with distinct characteristics and unique appearances, are often used in landscaping and gardening. Many of these species are endemic to South Africa and play a crucial role in our ecosystems, providing habitat and food for various animals, including insects, birds, and mammals. Moreover, cycads hold cultural and historical value in South Africa, with some species used by indigenous communities for medicinal and spiritual purposes. In some South African cultures, the cycad is also considered a symbol of longevity and strength. One of the most well-known species is Encephalartos lehmannii, known for its large size and striking blue-green colour. Another species, Encephalartos natalensis, is found in the coastal regions of South Africa and is known for its ability to grow in sandy soils. Encephalartos horridus is found in the Eastern Cape and is known for its sharp, spiky leaves. These plants are a unique part of South Africa’s natural heritage, popular among collectors and enthusiasts. Overall, Encephalartos cycads are fascinating plants for anyone interested in botany or gardening.

Encephalartos horridus (top) and Encephalartos lehmannii (bottom)
Encephalartos natalensis

Sadly, many cycad species are threatened in South Africa, especially the Encephalartos group, with four being classified as extinct in the wild due to poaching. One such species, Heenan’s Cycad (Encephalartos heenanii), previously listed as Critically Endangered, was reassessed as extinct in the wild in 2022 due to “persistent pressure from plant collectors”. Criminal syndicates run a highly profitable trade, connecting impoverished and desperate poachers to wealthy private collectors who value cycads as collectables. It seems the rarer the cycad, the more sought after it is.

Because of their rarity and dwindling populations, the legal sale of Encephalartos cycads is regulated nationally and internationally. In South Africa, cycad permits are regulated under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA). Each province also has conservation laws to further protect and regulate the cycad trade. However, there are legal methods of obtaining and keeping artificially propagated cycads. If you own an indigenous cycad or plan to purchase one, you must obtain a permit. You may not need a permit for exotic cycads, but it’s always best to make sure. To find out the requirements for your area, or if you have any other queries, please visit the EWT’s cycad page or contact the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife in Trade Programme at witinfo@ewt.org.za. It is crucial to ensure compliance with these regulations to avoid penalties and help to conserve these prehistoric plants in peril.

Thank you to US Fish and Wildlife Services for supporting this project.

Documenting all the Biodiversity on Papkuilsfontein

Mission (im)possible: Documenting all the Biodiversity on Papkuilsfontein

Bonnie Schumann, the EWT’s Dryland Conservation Programme Senior Field Officer

The Endangered Wildlife Trust recently conducted a comprehensive biodiversity survey on the Papkuilsfontein proposed Protected Environment. Papkuilsfontein is situated near Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape in a region known for its rich and unique biodiversity. However, the official list of species recorded on this property contains less than 300 species, and hence our mission was to rectify this and kick-start building a list that would accurately represent the incredible biodiversity found on this property.

Papkuilsfontein, owned by the Van Wyk family, is currently being declared as a formally Protected Environment in collaboration with the EWT and the Department of Agriculture, Environment, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DAERL). Following the survey, the species list now stands at over 1,300 species, and this is just the beginning!

The Bokkeveld Plateau is an area where three biomes meet, the Fynbos, the Succulent Karoo, and the Hantam Karoo. Combined with the variation in altitude, topography, and geology, this creates ideal conditions for the incredible evolution of species and diversity in the region. Nieuwoudtville is world-famous for its bulb plant diversity and density, with over 20,000 bulbs recorded per square meter. Research on the array of invertebrates associated with plant diversity has only started to scratch the surface. So the task of recording all things great and small over approximately 7,000 ha was a formidable one and will take several years to come close to accomplishing!

The EWT enlisted the help of a group of volunteers passionate about conservation to tackle this enormous task. The Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers, ably led by Ismail Ibrahim and comprising a team of students from the University of Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens, answered the call. Retired small mammal expert, Dr Guy Palmer, was put back to work, while Handré Basson was persuaded to abandon his studies for a few days and join us, bringing his passion for invertebrates and skill at finding them to the team. We were privileged to have had Dr Michael Kuhlmann, a world-renowned expert on solitary bees, join us for two days. Thanks to Dr Kuhlmann’s dedicated work on the plateau over the years, we know that Papkuilsfontein alone has an impressive list of over 100 species of solitary bees. Many of these are not yet described, and new species are still waiting to be discovered!

The EWT supplied the transport, and the Papkuilsfontein hospitality staff kept the team well-fed on some of the best hearty farm-style meals in the Karoo. Teams worked from dawn to dusk, scouring the rugged terrain and photographing and recording as much as possible. A camera trap survey was also conducted for six weeks, and tiny amounts of soil were collected for researchers to examine for environmental DNA later. Observation gathered from all three methodologies will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity present on the property.

The DAERL Stewardship Unit was instrumental in making the survey a success. A member of the unit, and ex-EWT staff member, JP le Roux, set up an iNaturalist project for the study and continues to work hard in the field to make sure the list of species keeps growing. iNaturalist is an online social network platform where people interested in biodiversity can share information. Anyone who sees an interesting plant or animal can photograph and upload the sighting to the platform, and a range of specialists are available to help identify the sighting. By setting up a project on the platform, all sightings made on the property can be collated, and species lists can be exported. The four-day survey provides just a glimpse of what is on the property. By having visitors and landowners take part in recording biodiversity using iNaturalist, we can ensure that a range of wildlife is captured, including plants and invertebrates, some of which may only make their appearance briefly every few years when conditions are just right for them. This makes recording the full spectrum of biodiversity at any location more achievable.

The region is special in terms of biodiversity and natural beauty. The EWT would like to thank all the landowners on the Bokkeveld Plateau who have a long-term vision to protect these features by declaring their properties as protected areas. This requires a high level of dedication at a very personal level in a day and age where talk is often cheap. Remember that Papkuilsfontein is not just an outstanding guest farm but is also a small commercial stock and rooibos tea producer. This conservation initiative is a great example of what can be achieved when the agricultural sector joins with the conservation sector to protect our natural resources at all levels.

The work on Papkuilsfontein was made possible with generous support from the Table Mountain Fund.

For more information:

Hunting the hunter: for the love of Mantids

Bonnie Schuman, the EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme and Bianca Greyvenstein, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University

Praying mantises are weird and wonderful-looking insects that most people seem to be familiar with, with their iconic “prayer” posture and reputation for honeymoons that end badly. However, as a taxonomic group, very little is known about the Mantids regarding their ecology, behaviour, distribution or even the range of species in South Africa. Two people are working hard to change this situation and are hunting these little hunters across South Africa with a view to finding out all there is to know about these poorly understood miniature predators.

Bianca Greyvenstein, Post Doctoral Fellow, and Professor Johnnie van den Berg from the North-West University (NWU) are the leading experts in South Africa on Mantids, specialising in praying mantid (Mantodea) diversity. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) recently invited these two researchers to visit the Papkuilsfontein proposed Protected Environment on the Bokkeveld Plateau near Nieuwoudtville to document the praying mantis species on the property. The EWT, in collaboration with the landowners (the Van Wyk family) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment, Land Reform and Rural Development (DAERL), recently launched an initiative to document the incredible range of biodiversity on the property.

The Northern Cape, in particular, is extremely data deficient with regard to insect diversity, especially in the Mantodea Order, under which these charismatic mantids are grouped. For example, of the approximately 4,000 museum specimens representing 170 species that have been collected in South Africa since 1838, only 0.2% are from the Northern Cape Province. Of these 15 specimens, only one species was collected near Papkuilsfontein.

Due to the poor rainfall season experienced during the winter prior to the survey, the region was extremely dry during this visit, and the diversity of arthropods at this time of year was extremely low. However, the Bokkeveld Plateau is not known to be a biodiversity hotspot for no good reason. Despite the ongoing drought and the heatwave experienced during the survey, surprisingly high levels of mantid diversity were recorded. Sampling focussed on the Bokkeveld Sandstone Fynbos vegetation type, but the Nieuwoudtville Shale Renosterveld and the Hantam Karoo were also surveyed.

Rresearchers visit the Papkuilsfontein proposed Protected Environment near Nieuwoudtville to document the praying mantis species on the property. Photo credit: Paul Janse van Rensburg

Records reflect that eight superfamilies in the Mantodea order have been documented in South Africa so far, of which no less than six were present on Papkuilsfontein. Of the known 22 families, seven were recorded on Papkuilsfontein, which also represented ten different genera. In addition to recording the Mantids, the NWU team documented eight insect orders, 23 families and 36 species during their short visit in January 2023.

The team will return to the plateau in spring this year, and hopes are high for a good winter rainfall season. Just imagine what awaits discovery on this spectacular property following a good rainy season! The NWU team welcome sightings of Praying Mantises from across South Africa, as these can help shed light on species diversity and distribution. High-resolution photographs will go a long way in aiding the identification of any sightings.

Please share any sightings of Preying Mantises with Bianca at the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. Email: biagrey90@gmail.com

The work on Papkuilsfontein was made possible with generous support from the Table Mountain Fund

Paul Janse van Rensburg

Fun Facts about Praying Mantises

Praying Mantises feature prominently in mythology in many cultures, most likely due to the fact that they fold their forelegs in what appears to be a “praying” position.
Praying Mantises are wait-and-hunt predators. They wait patiently for prey to pass close by and then snatch the unsuspecting prey with their long, spiny forelegs.
Contrary to common belief, female Mantids do not always consume their male partners after breeding. If the female is well-fed, the lucky suitor will escape with his head remaining on his shoulders.
Turns out these little predators live on average 260 days, and some of their egg packets or ootheca can have up to 150 tiny mantids that emerge all at once! These little guys will have to shed their skin or moult between five and nine times before they become big, beautiful adult mantids.

Commemorating 50 Years – Spay Campaign in the Waterberg

Commemorating 50 Years of Conservation Excellence – Spay Campaign in Vaalwater

Kedibone Chauchau, EWT’s PR and Marketing Coordinator

Half a century after it was founded, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has achieved immeasurable gains for wildlife conservation. With more than 110 staff members working across 13 African countries, the EWT is arguably one of the most effective and impactful conservation organisations working across such a diversity of species and ecosystems and collaborating with all relevant stakeholders.

Often recognised for its role in conserving charismatic species like the Wild Dog and Cheetah, the EWT was one of the first organisations to galvanise serious conservation action for vultures across the region. Just as important are the benefits of conservation to thousands of people the EWT has worked with through job creation programmes, education, resource protection and provision, and empowerment of people to take control of their environment and their futures.

The EWT’s relationship with communities in the Waterberg has been strengthened through the carnivore conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation work that we do in the area. The Waterberg is a key area for carnivore conservation in South Africa and is home to one of the last free-roaming Wild Dog populations in the country. The EWT works hand in hand with landowners and managers to resolve any carnivore-related issues in the area and teach them and encourage them to teach others how to deal with such issues in a non-lethal way.

One of the ways in which the EWT benefits local communities is through spay campaigns, which are costly and often unaffordable for communities. These campaigns encourage people to bring their dogs in so the EWT and partners can facilitate sterilisation at no cost. In honour of the EWT’s 50th Anniversary, we ran a spay campaign to sterilise 50 domestic dogs and cats in the township of Vaalwater, Limpopo, on 29 and 30 April.

“Sterilising domestic dogs in communities helps to prevent the overpopulation of stray/feral dogs, which can pose a danger to humans. Reducing dog numbers in the area is also critical in preventing the spread the Transmissible Venereal Tumour (TVT) disease or any other diseases amongst domestic dogs and their wild counterparts such as Wild Dogs.” – The EWT’s Carnivore Conservation Programme’s Field Officer, Joseph Hlako.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust collaborated with Prime Crew Animal Rescue and the Welgevonden Environmental Awareness Programme to organise and run the much-needed campaign. With the help of 12 vets, the EWT went well above the target of sterilising 50 dogs and cats. Out of the 185 animals that were brought, 154 were sterilised, including 120 dogs and 34 cats. A special mention to the vets and the individuals that assisted with donations and their time.

The EWT also helps livestock farmers to reduce and prevent predation on their livestock by large carnivores like leopards through the Livestock Guarding Dog project. Game farmers are also assisted with various human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies, environmental education, skills development, and other interventions implemented in the communities.

The real power for change lies within each of us – in our everyday engagements with people who learn from us, teach us, and join us in our timeless campaign to protect forever, together.