March 2025 Newsletter

Hope for African Penguin

In a last-minute bid to avoid litigation that could have lasted for years, BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB, represented by the Biodiversity Law Centre, have reached an agreement with the South African Pelagic Fishing Industry Association and their members on closures around six key African Penguin colonies: Dassen Island, Robben Island, Stony Point, Dyer Island, St Croix Island and Bird Island. The aim of our focus on these particular colonies is to ensure regional representation towards maximising the benefits of closures for the global African Penguin population.

The newly delineated no-take zones will replace the current closures resulting from former Minister for Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy’s 2023 illogical decision to enforce interim closures – closures that conservation scientists have always maintained to be inadequate. According to the agreed changes, the closure around Robben Island off the West Coast will be significantly increased, while the existing closure will be retained around Dassen Island. The new no-take zone around Stony Point in the south-western Cape will be more than three times the size of the current closure and closely matches what BirdLife South Africa’s scientists and their partners have determined as the preferred foraging area for African Penguins. At Dyer Island the existing closure will remain unchanged, given the importance of this area to local purse-seine fishers in the Overberg region. Finally, in Algoa Bay, the breeding colony of St Croix Island will benefit from a reconfigured closure covering important African Penguin foraging areas, while still allowing fishing vessels to access the harbour and fishing grounds near Gqeberha. At Bird Island, as at Robben Island, the agreed closure will extend 20km around the penguin colony.

As explained by Dr Alistair McInnes, our Seabird Conservation Programme Manager, ‘While we have made compromises by accepting the existing closures at Dassen and Dyer islands to expedite the resolution of the matter, we are pleased that we have secured closures that safeguard the African Penguins’ foraging areas throughout their South African breeding range and will allow recovery of the species by promoting the penguins’ access to sardines and anchovies.’

The settlement was hard fought for by our team of legal experts and scientists. Negotiations started in mid-February and continued for weeks during all hours and all days of the week. Given the fundamental challenge that both the fishers and the penguins want to focus their efforts where the small pelagic fish are most abundant, both the industry and the conservation bodies had to be willing to compromise. Importantly, the revised closures born of this effort will be enforced through a court order, which mandates that they be put in place immediately by the current Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. A further benefit is that these will now remain in place for the next 10 years. This will enable our scientists to monitor the effects of the reduction in fishing around the colonies on penguin population numbers.

Although the settlement is an important step forward on the journey to save this iconic species, there is still a long way to go. Much work needs to be done with government and with our partners to ensure that we are able to attend to other threats to penguins, as well as closely monitor the enforcement and effectiveness of island closures.

The key to this successful outcome for African Penguins is the fact that we have not travelled this journey alone. There are many, many researchers, academics, agencies, institutions, lawyers, NGOs, journalists and creatives who have given incredibly generously of their time, resources and expertise to enable us to achieve what we have to date. We thank you all and look forward to continued collaboration towards a brighter future not only for African Penguins, but for marine ecosystems in general and the livelihoods they support.

DR KIRSTEN DAY, POLICY & ADVOCACY PROGRAMME MANAGER

Raffle funds for penguins

Pretoria-based vet Dr Liesl de Swardt ran a raffle at her practice to raise funds for BirdLife South Africa. She then met with BirdLife South Africa CEO Mark Anderson at our headquarters at Isdell House in Johannesburg to hand over a symbolic large cheque for R8300! The funds will go to support our conservation of the iconic and embattled African Penguin. We are working on multiple fronts, from advocating for closed fishing areas to protect the penguins’ foraging grounds to creating a new breeding colony. We greatly value the support of Liesl and her clients who participated in the raffle, as well as everyone who has made a donation to help us continue working to save our iconic penguin.

If you would like to know more about our African Penguin work, please visit birdlife.org.za/african-penguin-conservation

CHRISTINA HAGEN, PAMELA ISDELL FELLOW OF PENGUIN CONSERVATION

Enter a new school photography competition!

Bird seed manufacturer Westerman’s, a strong supporter of BirdLife South Africa’s conservation work, has launched a Bird of the Month photography competition aimed specifically at schoolchildren. We encourage you to participate in this wonderful initiative, either by entering yourself if you’re a scholar or, if you’re an interested parent or teacher, by signing your school up for the competition. Be sure to read the guidelines in the accompanying images to learn more.

KURT MARTIN, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

The Ingula Partnership

In late February, the annual meeting of the Ingula Partnership’s steering committee took place at the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme’s visitors’ centre, near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal. In attendance were representatives from BirdLife South Africa, Eskom and Middelpunt Wetland Trust, the founding parties of the partnership. What started out in the early 2000s as a contentious relationship between Eskom, BirdLife South Africa and Middelpunt Wetland Trust has resulted in a win-win situation: Eskom runs a pumped storage power station in a pristine nature reserve. Today, the Ingula Partnership has received international recognition as a model partnership between big business (in this case, an SOE, or State-Owned Entity) and conservation NGOs, and the outcome is exceptional. Not least, Ingula has been declared a nature reserve and a Ramsar site.

Our Ingula Conservation and Education Officer, Steven Segang, is based in the area and performs various duties to support the impressive ongoing conservation work at Ingula. He guided the steering committee on a tour of the nature reserve, with a special focus on the abundant resident birdlife. To learn more about this remarkable conservation work, you can watch the short documentary here, or do a deep dive and read a history of the project by Malcolm Drummond, Middelpunt Wetland Trust’s founder. The excellent Of Watts and Wetlands: the story of Ingula is available in our shop. It chronicles the creation and construction of a major contributor to South Africa’s electricity generation, as well as the conservation undertakings that the Ingula Partnership has overseen; two seemingly disparate activities that operate as a single, highly successful entity. The book is packed with information and its many illustrations include award-winning photographs.

KURT MARTIN, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Sliding deeper into the Red

The recently concluded 2025 Regional Red List assessment by BirdLife South Africa for SANBI marks a major step forward in understanding the state of our region’s birdlife. Over the past two years, more than 200 expert-led assessments were completed for bird species deemed to be of conservation concern, building on comprehensive analyses of non-vagrant terrestrial bird data gleaned from SABAP2.

This multi-year effort not only revisited the status of species already listed as threatened, but also identified new candidates for assessment after screening extensive citizen science data. By combining field expertise and large-scale volunteer-driven evidence, BirdLife South Africa and its partners are presenting the most complete picture yet of how our region’s birds are faring, with recommendations for how best to safeguard them. We compare the numbers of birds in each threat category (such as Endangered or Vulnerable) now against previous assessments using the ‘Red List Index’.

BirdLife South Africa’s latest update to the Red List of regional birds confirms what was probably expected: that overall, bird species in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini are under growing threat. The new Red List Index declined compared to 2015, revealing that many bird populations are slipping further towards extinction. Of 754 species assessed, 147 are now classified as threatened (up from 132 in 2015), reflecting the consequences of a variety of challenges that include ongoing habitat degradation, climate change impacts, powerline collisions and the projected impact of mice on Marion Island, among many other pressures.

In line with previous assessments, raptors and seabirds are the worst off. However, waterbirds – typically a group that has benefited from dams and human activity – exhibited especially steep declines, underscoring the challenges faced by groups like grebes and flamingos. The deterioration of places like Kamfers Dam, where a recent outbreak of what was probably botulism killed scores of waterbirds, is symptomatic of broader water issues across the country. Several waterbirds previously deemed safe (such as Great Crested Grebe and Maccoa Duck) have moved into higher threat categories – a worrying sign for the region’s wetlands.

The status of a handful of species has improved, emphasising that well-directed conservation does pay off. Southern Bald Ibis, Cape Vulture and Wattled Crane are among those downlisted to a lower threat category, mainly due to targeted conservation action, including stewardship, improved habitat protection measures and better implementation of mitigation measures. Unfortunately, more species are deteriorating: Botha’s Lark and Lappet-faced Vulture have recently been uplisted to Critically Endangered.

Much of the evidence underlying these uplistings and downlistings comes from citizen science programmes such as SABAP2, the Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC) and the Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts (CAR). These volunteer-driven datasets offer critical, long-term insights into population changes. By continuing to submit sightings and supporting citizen science, birders help guide conservation priorities and shape actions that ultimately prevent further losses.

Despite the overall downward trend, the positive stories remind us that dedicated interventions can halt – and even reverse – declines. Strengthening efforts such as expanding habitat protection, mitigating hazards like powerlines and bycatch, and rallying communities around citizen science offers the best hope to protect our birds and the habitats they share with us.

The official assessments will be formally released on the BirdLife South Africa website in May 2025. A massive thank you to the more than 130 people who assisted with this project and to my sponsors, including AFRIT, Italtile and Ceramic Foundation, FirstRand Foundation and Mapula Trust, without which this work would not have been possible.

DR ALAN LEE, SCIENCE & INNOVATION PROGRAMME MANAGER

Botha’s Lark workshop in Wakkerstroom

On 13 February BirdLife South Africa hosted a workshop in Wakkerstroom that aimed to gain fresh insights into the habitat requirements of Botha’s Lark and what can be done to conserve this highly threatened species. The workshop provided a platform for leading experts in the field to share their knowledge and highlighted the need to understand the current and past ecological landscape. Presentations ranging from aerial photography to the current status of Botha’s Lark were supplemented by a field excursion that aimed to understand the conditions that Botha’s Lark favours and clarify its finer-scale habitat requirements.

Grassland scientists Prof. Kevin Kirkman, Prof. Pete Zacharias and Prof. Trevor Hill, all affiliated to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, contributed valuable insights into grassland ecology and conservation strategies. Their expertise helped shape discussions on how best to protect and manage these unique ecosystems for the benefit of threatened and endemic species. In addition, Robin Colyn, a landscape ecologist and former member of the BirdLife South Africa team, gave a presentation that provided perspective on the population decline of Botha’s Lark and offered a broader understanding of the species’ habitat requirements, including how these requirements may alter as the climate changes.

The workshop was a huge success, culminating in a list of actionable steps that focus on research and conservation and can be practically implemented. One key outcome was the establishment of stronger collaborative ties between academia and conservation organisations. By integrating scientific research with on-the-ground conservation action, we aim to improve our understanding of grassland ecosystems, identify threats to these systems (and the endemic species that depend on them) and implement effective strategies to protect their biodiversity.

A special thanks to the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Robin Colyn for their participation and to all attendees for contributing to meaningful discussions about grassland conservation. We look forward to future workshops that continue to foster research and conservation partnerships.

MATTHEW OROLOWITZ, BIRDING ECOTOURS FELLOW OF GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION

Red-billed Oxpecker: Bird of the Year 2025

The Red-billed Oxpecker, BirdLife South Africa’s Bird of the Year 2025, is known for its striking red bill and symbiotic relationship with large mammals like zebras, giraffes and rhinos. This remarkable bird plays a critical role in maintaining ecosystem health by feeding on ticks.

To celebrate the Red-billed Oxpecker, we are developing learning resources that aim to educate about environmental matters and raise awareness about this particular species. These materials are perfect for anyone curious about the oxpecker’s fascinating role in our natural world. Like these cooperative breeders, we have adopted a collaborative approach to creating learning resources. We have partnered with education specialists from St Stithians College and together we are creating 10 lesson plans designed for the intermediate phase of schooling. These lesson plans integrate seamlessly with subjects like natural science, mathematics and English, making learning engaging and accessible while also supporting literacy and numeracy development.

On 5 March, the Empowering People Programme launched an introductory learning pack via a webinar. This pack includes four lesson plans and a vibrant poster, which is now available on the BirdLife South Africa website. Throughout 2025, we’ll continue to develop and share resources, hosting webinars and collaborating with partners to deepen our understanding of ecosystems, symbiotic relationships and cultural connections. Stay tuned for our next webinar, where we’ll unveil even more educational material.

Join us in celebrating this conservation success and exploring the natural world through the lens of the Red-billed Oxpecker.

NANDI THOBELA, EMPOWERING PEOPLE PROGRAMME MANAGER

Long-term Secretarybird tracking project expands  

BirdLife South Africa’s Secretarybird Project started a tracking study in 2013 with an audacious goal: to determine the movement behaviour of these Endangered birds in a changing landscape. In mid-February 2025, the 24th GPS tracking device was deployed on a nestling Secretarybird in the Dronfield Nature Reserve near Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Named Buckbeak, after the hippogriff from the Harry Potter novels, this young male is set up for fame.

For several years, the Secretarybird Project has tried to link up with Bonné de Bod and Susan Scott, host and producer of several conservation documentaries and television shows. The hope was to feature Africa’s most iconic raptor as part of the kykNET series Bewonder en Bewaar (Admire and Conserve), but filming was thwarted by scheduling issues and limited breeding events. Then finally the presence of nestlings on Dronfield and an open weekend came together, the opportunity was swiftly seized by all – and the rest will be television history!

Assisted by Dr Melissa Whitecross and encouraged by Bonné, I gently lifted Buckbeak and his smaller sister from their nest platform, ringed and measured them and, in Buckbeak’s case, fitted him with a GPS tracking unit. And then safely returned them to their nest. More than a kilogram heavier than his sibling, Buckbeak was the perfect candidate for the tracking device. Kindly sponsored by a long-time study supporter, Ekapa Minerals, the small solar-powered device will record a geospatial location at set intervals, showing exactly how the bird moves across and utilises the landscape.

The data immediately started flowing in, showing that Buckbeak flew off the nest a few hours after we had left. This reveals that he was quite advanced for his age and had already fledged successfully! The size of the area he’s exploring quickly expanded and it is only a matter of time before a long dispersal flight will take place, leading him into a hopefully bright future.

Secretarybirds will appear in an episode of the third season of Bewonder en Bewaar, which will air on kykNET in late 2026.

CASSIE CARSTENS, SECRETARYBIRD PROJECT MANAGER