Editor's note

Unfortunately, this is a somewhat delayed and “slim” edition but nevertheless the authors have excelled themselves once more in sharing their expertise with us.

The theme for our regular authors was to highlight endangered species in our area and to explain why they are important. The articles enlighten us but also sadden us as some of these species could well be extinct in the not too distant future!

It’s always a great pleasure to be able to feature articles by Charles and Julia Botha with their intense passion for our flora and fauna and a strong emphasis on doing the “right thing” and not things that please us! I am hoping this will be the first in a series of articles from Charles and Julia on the fauna and flora of our area.

Our environmental conscience “prodder”, Arend Hoogervorst raises the question – “Are conserved areas REALLY important to us anymore?” this is particularly relevant bearing in mind our Ingwe Escarpment project where we are seeking, in partnership with the municipality and other stakeholders, to create a new protected area in Kloof!

Steve Woodhall has (as always) done very diligent research and takes a broader look at our amazing local biodiversity before focusing in on the “rarities”. Pat McKrill points out that currently snakes in our area are not doing too badly but does warn us that human driven issues are likely to have a negative impact in years to come. We often take birds for granted but as Nicolette Forbes explains they are under severe threat from impacts generated by humans. Some bird species such as the Hadeda Ibis have adapted well to co-exist with humans but sadly that is not the case with many other species.

The situation for frogs appears to be quite bleak as our very own Frog Lady, Jeanne Tarrant explains. There are however some small rays of hope for some species such as the Kloof Frog as well as the Pickersgill’s Reed Frog thanks to the intervention of environmental organisations such as EWT and Anura Africa. Insects are the most diverse group of animals and yet we still have an enormous amount to learn about them. What is evident however is that they are under sever stress and that is why Marlies Craig has titled her article “The Silent Extinction”, it makes for sobering reading!

As always I do wish to express sincere thanks to the authors who give up precious time to write these articles and who willingly share their knowledge with our readers. Thanks also to our Graphics Editor, Jo Sobey who assembles all the stories into a user friendly and stunning layout.

Paolo Candotti
May 2025