The scale of the gap is stunning. Estimates cited in responses to Daily Maverick questions on the draft National Leopard Strategy and Action Plan suggest an uncertainty of more than 21,000 animals. The draft follows two recent White Papers, the draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to 2035 and a high-level panel.
Dr Michael ’t Sas-Rolfes, a research fellow at Stellenbosch University’s African Wildlife Economy Institute, puts the problem plainly.
“We don’t really know how many leopards still survive in South Africa; estimates vary by an order of magnitude: 2,185 to 23,400 individuals,” he told Daily Maverick.
This is what the gazetted document admits. It also says that this…
Bicycle Culture: Cycling is gaining popularity in urban areas, with initiatives
promoting cycling as a sustainable mode of transport.
Seal Snake
Papua New Guinea: You have two cows. One eats the other.
Lime
Fun South African Fact: The Lion, the cheetah and the wildebeest are three of the five fastest animals in the world and they all live in South Africa.