African Wildlife & Environment Issue 77 FINAL ISSUE

& ENVIRONMENT

ISSUE 77 (2020)

THE MAGAZINE OF THE WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA

CONTENTS

The content below is hyperlinked to the article Just click and read

1 Editorial 2 Letters to the editor 3 Good reads 10 In memoriam: Keith Cooper

Conservation 16 When freshwater and saltwater meet Fauna, Flora & Wildlife 19 Poison is poison 22 Birds of the Aloe Farm 25 Pandemic Pandemonium with COVID-19 31 Heathlands in Africa 36 The great elephant balancing act

Poison is poison

Birding 43 The African Pygmy-goose

Eco-Hero 47 John Skinner

Nature Notes 50 Spider Silk Secrets 54 For you to colour in 56 Enter to win

The African Pygmy-goose

Subscriptions / General 57 WESSA membership 58 Leaving a legacy 59 Region, area office, branch & centre contacts 60 Publication details

In memoriam Keith Cooper

Copyright © African Wildlife & Environment. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by and means, electronic or mechanical without the prior written permission of the publisher. African Wildlife & Environment retains the right to make alterations to any material submitted. The publisher, while exercising due care, cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to material submitted. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of WESSA. Copyright on all content belongs toWESSA and the individual contributors.

Cover photograph: John Wesson

GENERAL

Dr John Ledger EDITORIAL This is rather an important issue of our magazine, for a couple of reasons. The first is that we have a brand-new feature aimed at our younger readers. Nature Notes, starting on page 43, is an educational, fun section dealing with spiders and their silk. We expect this and future articles to be of great value and interest to young naturalists, and to teachers who need to prepare lessons or project sheets. But the wonders of electronic publishing allow us to go one further. On page 44 we read "Time to watch a clip…". We click on the button, and wow! There is a video on spiders and their silk!

We can now say very much the same about African Wildlife & Environment . We can distribute unlimited copies of the e-magazine, reaching people all over the world. Our advertisers can now reach a massive audience, and can even embed videos of their game lodges, guest houses and nature trails into the magazine! We can play bird calls and croaking of frogs, and much more! One disadvantage is that in many regions of Africa there are no Internet connections or digital technology. In such regions, often in rural villages around wildlife areas, printed magazines are eagerly consumed by teachers and children alike, for they are rare resources in a world that simply does not have access to such materials.We would like to hear from our readers about YOUR thoughts on this brave new world of digital publishing. This issue is full of interesting articles. We pay tribute to the life of Keith Cooper, one of WESSA's most faithful servants and a wonderfully kind and knowledgeable man who will be sorely missed. We look at the tricky issue of elephant hunting through the eyes of Gail Thompson, who writes very perceptively on this sensitive subject. Professor Anthony Turton again educates us about water matters in a fascinating article.We visit an Aloe farm, learn about heathlands in Africa, and birders get new views of the African Pygmy-goose. All this and more in your latest electronic magazine. Welcome to the digital age, and enjoy the read!

We are now into the second fully digital issue of African Wildlife & Environment magazine. Many of our readers have asked when (and if) we will return to the familiar printed magazine that we all got so fond of reading in the years and decades before Covid-19 turned our worlds upside down. I want to share something my friend Athol Franz wrote recently. He is the editor and publisher of one of the finest aviation magazines in the world, called African Pilot. He was responding to a similar question from a reader about when his magazine would again be available in paper form. Here is an extract from his response: "My honest answer is that African Pilot will probably never go back to a printed magazine. The reality is that the world has evolved and this COVID-19 shut down just brought the inevitable closer. With today's technology, there is no reason to cut down trees to print thousands of publications that are eventually discarded in landfill sites anyway. The benefits of African Pilot digital magazine: • You receive the magazine instantly when it is published. • The SA Post Office has become notoriously pathetic in delivering magazines to subscribers. • The new technology allows for a large amount of copy, unlimited photographs, plus embedded videos and picture galleries. • The magazine is now on the world stage, attracting international interest which was never possible in the past. • Every article is printed in high resolution, while e-mail and website addresses are hyperlinked to further readers' interests."

Dr John Ledger Consulting Editor john.ledger@wol.co.za 083 650 1768

1 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

LETTERS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Your opinion is highly valued and welcome. Please send your feedback, letters, comments and suggestions to editor@wessa.co.za

Rüppell’s Griffon at Blouberg A little while ago I was shown a copy of # 75 of your interesting magazine. In the article on Blouberg Nature Reserve, by Gerd Botha, he rightly points out the adult Rüppell’s Griffon (called 'Vulture'), but next to it is a young immature Rüppell’s, showing that the Reserve has at least two. Indeed, as the Rüppell’s is said to have paired with a Cape Griffon (the other two birds in the photo on p 42), then we should expect some hybrids. This second bird is perhaps one such, as it is larger than the adult Rüppell’s.

And the bird on pages 44 and 45, in dramatic landing pose, is also a young immature Rüppell’s and could be different from the one on p 42.Was it photographed in the Reserve, and in any case where were the two photos taken? A response from the author would be appreciated. Peter Mundy mundy@gatorzw.co.uk

We welcome feedback from our readers, and you are all encouraged to send us your letters to express your opinions.

2 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

GOOD READS Book reviews by Dr John Ledger

parties, that these bush pirates are on the war- path." For a long time,Wild Dogs were shot on sight in the Kruger National Park! Thankfully, times have changed, and the general public today has a much better understanding of this species. The sterling work of Dr Gus Mills and the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Carnivore Conservation Group did much to spread the word of tolerance in southern Africa, especially by means of their Wild Dog Photographic Competitions. More recently, over 200 million viewers watched the BBC's Dynasties series which featured Wild Dogs in the episode titled PaintedWolves.

Wild Dogs Kagan, Jocelin (2020). Africa's Wild Dogs: A Survival Story. Merlin Unwin Books, Ludlow, England. Hard cover, 30x27 cm, 222 pp, illustrated with colour photographs throughout. ISBN 978-1-913159-19-1. Distributed locally by Penguin Random House South Africa. R520 (R445 at Takealot; R 416 at Makro) ISBN 978-1-77584 -587-4. R390

This is a blockbuster, large- format, coffee-table book with a difference. It is built around the superb photography of Jocelyn Kagan, but it is also multi-author

production involving seven contributing scientists and conservationists. All royalties will go to the newly-founded Africa's Wild Dog Survival Fund, which in turn will support those organisations already working in the field with the dogs. Wild Dogs have had a bad reputation in the past, and James Stevenson-Hamilton, first Warden of the Kruger National Park, disliked them intensely. In his 1912 book Animal Life in Africa he wrote: "There is no other beast of prey in Africa responsible for so much disturbance of game as the Hunting Dog, and, in proportion to his numbers, there is none which deals out more wholesale destruction. A pack, descending suddenly upon a district, scatters the game far and wide, and it is not difficult to discern from the restless and uneasy manner of the impala and other antelopes, as well as from the fact of the herds being split up and scattered into small

This new book provides further affirmation that these fascinating carnivores deserve to be understood, cherished and conserved, as an important part of Africa's rich tapestry of biodiversity. Section One introduces the reader to various aspects of Wild Dog family life, including how these social animals communicate. Dr Peter Apps has a contribution humorously titled Pee- mail, bulletin boards and dating sites. Section Two of the book, starting on page 116 is called Maligned, misunderstood & endangered , and deals with human perceptions and Wild Dog survival. The chapters by the various specialists are excellent and bring the reader up to date on the latest scientific research results. A significant chapter on Growing wild dog range and numbers by Dr Harriet Davies-Mostert of the EWT is particularly important for the long-term survival and genetic health of the species.

3 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

A Geologist's Adventures Norman, Nick (2020). Going to Ground. A geologist's adventures in Africa and South America. The Franschhoek Press, Franschhoek, South Africa. Soft cover, 15x23 cm, 222 pp, colour photographs in middle section, maps on cover flaps. ISBN 978-0- 62086-642-21. Distribution by Protea Distribution; promoted by Helco Promotions (contact Helen Holyoake at helen@helco.co.za.) R320.

to Ground, because Nick writes very well, very sincerely and with an underlying thread of humour that is most refreshing. He and I are about the same age, had rather similar parallel careers in completely different fields, and we even share some friends and acquaintances. I found out that Nick's friend George Zaloumis was also my friend when we were at Wits together. In Chapter four, Nick describes a trip to Malawi that he and George undertook in Nick's old Ford Anglia. In Malawi they found themselves driving at night up a mountain through vast plantations of Pinus patula . They came upon a house ablaze with lights in the mist. A dog barked at them from above the bottom half of a stable door, while the sound of classic music wafted from inside the house. A red-haired, red-bearded figure appeared behind the dog. "Hello" he shouted. When he opened the door, Nick and George saw he was wearing a kilt. "Come on in," he said, and they shook hands. "I'm John Greig". Of course, that was the same John Comrie Greig who was the Editor of WESSA's A frican Wildlife magazine for many years, when he and I became good friends. John was a very good investigative reporter, and together we caused the Royal Dutch Shell company some discomfort with our exposé of their sale of the banned insecticide, Dieldrin, in southern African countries. The South African public boycotted Shell petrol stations as a result. Nick also describes his visit to Barberton where he met up with Tony and Sandie Ferrar in Barberton, where there is now a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, in which an important role is played by Tony, who is a former CEO of WESSA. The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains site comprises 40% of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, one of the world’s oldest geological structures. The property represents the best-preserved succession of volcanic and sedimentary rock dating back 3.6 to 3.25 billion years and forms a diverse repository of information on surface conditions, meteorite impacts, volcanism, continent-building processes and the environment of early life. This is a wonderfully entertaining and informative book, and comes very highly recommended. Buy it for yourself, for a friend or a relative, and be inspired by the story of that 'dozy, unsocialised child' who has made a big mark on the world in his well-lived life.

"A dozy, unsocialised child follows a boringly ordinary course through life until gradually things start to work out for him in increasingly extraordinary ways. The only prize I ever won at school was the Natural History Prize, no academic accolades or colours for any sport. I was rewarded for loving undemanding nature; almost a non-prize. Nearly fifty years later, in a small town I had never visited before, I was introduced to the author of a slim volume on the geography of the area. 'Not THE Nick Norman,' she asked. I might have blushed. In 1987, aged 42 I had married, and gone on to father two children, one now a top lawyer, the other on a similar trajectory in medicine. Having dreamt of being a farmer, I owned a farm in Franschhoek, which put me in about the most envied group of people in South Africa. After a successful career in mineral exploration in Africa and South America I turned my hand to writing about geology in a way accessible to lay readers. Three best-sellers followed." Those are the words of Nick Norman, author of Geological Journeys, Geology off the beaten track, Box of Rocks and T he Extraordinary World of Diamonds. I got a lot of pleasure reading Going

4 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

A new bird book Sinclair, Ian, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton, Niall Perrins, Dominic Rollinson & Peter Ryan (2020). Sasol Birds of Southern Africa. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 15x21 cm, 488 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with illustrations, photographs and maps. ISBN 978-1-77584 -668.45. R390.

Sasol Checklist of Birds in Southern Africa As a companion to the Sasol Birds of South Africa, the publishers have produced this handy little checklist, whichiscross-referenced to the fifth edition of this iconic publication.

It lists all the birds to be seen in the region and provides a simple way of recording where and when you have spotted them. Pocket-

bars to show monthly occurrence and breeding records, and the distribution maps have been updated to reflect the latest records. We have a vast army of 'citizen scientist' birders, who contribute to the avian database, and the records painstaking collected by these unpaid troops are incorporated into this new book. Because birds fly, and because they are so interesting and fascinating to so many people, and because we are so rapidly and drastically changing the world, there will always be new editions of this book to be compiled and published. With our expanding human settlements, our anti- inflammatory livestock drugs and lead bullets that kill vultures, our bird-killing wind turbines and the new powerlines that we build in remote areas to get the intermittent power from the wind farms, we keep making life more difficult and dangerous for birds. Hopefully our citizen scientists will keep on documenting the harm we do with these damaging activities, that we pursue in the name of 'saving the world', when in fact we are doing exactly the opposite. This is a fantastic new book and I do not know anyone who reads African Wildlife & Environment who would not be thrilled to find a copy in their 2020 Christmas Stocking. sized for ease of use, it offers six columns for multiple recordings at six different localities, up- to-date names for all southernAfrican birds, and the endemic and threat status for all birds. ISBN: 9781775847571 Format: Paperback, 11 x 18 cm, 38 pp Recommended Price: R50.00

Unlike 'old soldiers', 'old bird books' don't fade away. They get revised, spruced up, filled with new information and their authors become more numerous. This is certainly the case with the fifth edition of this wonderful book, which now features a delightful front cover illustration of a group of South African endemic Ground Woodpeckers.The book has been brought fully up to date by its expert author panel, with additional contributions from another two birding experts. This new edition offers its readers the most comprehensive and feature-rich guide to the birds of southern Africa ever published. It is a front- runner of natural history publishing with some special highlights. There is now a new 'bird-call' feature, which I found absolutely astonishing (and remember that my first bird book was Leonard Gill's First Guide …, a present from my uncle and aunt in 1951!). Beneath each distribution map is a barcode. You get hold of the free app and load it on your smart- phone. Then you scan the barcode with your phone and you can play the call/s of that particular species. How about that, grandpa? There are more than 800 new illustrations including all-new plates for raptors and seabirds, while most of the plates have been redesigned to show diagnostic features. There are calendar

5 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

Stargazing O'Meara, Stephen (2020). Night Skies of Botswana . Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 15x21 cm, 184 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and diagrams. ISBN 978-1-77584 -693- 2. R240.

Mushrooms Branch, Margo (2020). First Field Guide to Mushrooms of Southern Africa. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 11x16 cm, 57 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs by George Branch and sketches. ISBN 978-1-77584 -741-0. R80.

The subtitle on the cover says 'Includes local star lore' and Botswana’s ancestral stories about the stars are scattered throughout the book, honouring indigenous interpretations of the night skies and giving it a unique African flavour. This easy-to-use, accessible guide to starwatching in Botswana is ideal for beginner and amateur stargazers. All stars described can be seen with the naked eye – binoculars and telescopes are not necessary, although of course many birders carry binoculars and they would find them useful for stargazing. The book opens with stargazing tips, while introducing important astronomical concepts, describing our galaxy and the Earth’s place in it. The body of the book offers four star-charts per month, giving views from north, south, east and west, with supporting descriptions of the stars and constellations. Users can dip in during any month. The final chapter surveys the solar system, including the Sun, Moon, planets and leftover debris. There is also information on a meteorite strike in Botswana in 2018, and how to identify artificial satellites orbiting the Earth (including the International Space Station). The author is well known in the astronomical community for his remarkable skills as a visual observer. He has been recognised by the International Astronomical Union, which named Asteroid 3637 O'Meara in his honour. He has written several books, many articles, including being a contributor to National Geographic . He and his wife live in Botswana where they run yoga and stargazing safaris. Look on the Internet for www. yogasafari.com.

This handy little field guide will easily fit into a jacket pocket and will assist the beginner and keen naturalist to identify the more common mushrooms they might encounter in their journeys of discovery. Because they are so widely distributed, mushrooms may be found in gardens, on sidewalks, parks, farms and nature reserves. The introduction deals with saprophytic and parasitic fungi, symbiotic fungi and mycorrhizal fungi. A page is devoted to 'Poisonous or edible Mushrooms' and the reader is strongly warned about the dangers of eating the wrong kind! Then the book launches into the different species, with a full page and at least one, sometimes more, photograph for identification purposes. These excellent images complement the clear text, which should always be read in full when attempting to identify your specimens. Remember that this is a guide to just a few of the more abundant and commonly encountered species, and there are very many more in our region.

6 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

Renosterveld Curtis-Scott, Odette, Mike Goulding, Nick Helme, Rhoda McMaster, Sean Privett & Charles Stirton (2020). Field Guide to Renosterveld of the Overberg . Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 15x21 cm, 488 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and sketches. ISBN 978- 1-77584 -580-5. R290.

Three hundred years ago, before European farmers settled in the region, the Renosterveld supported large numbers of big game, including Black Rhino, Eland and the now extinct Bluebuck and Quagga. It was also possibly a far grassier system, with some areas even having a very high Rooigras Themeda triandra component, with a much higher plant diversity. The combination of grazing and browsing game animals of varying sizes maintained the diversity and structure of this system. Sadly, the replacement of large game animals with small selective feeders, such as cattle and sheep, combined with years of poorly- informed management (over-grazing and too little or too much burning) has allowed extensive areas of this special veld to become severely degraded and dominated by ‘unwanted’ shrubs, such as Renosterbos Elytropappus rhinocerotis. The result is that over 95% has been irreversibly converted to croplands, rendering what remains of this vegetation type in urgent need of conservation attention. Despite these incredibly high levels of threat, Renosterveld has retained an extraordinary diversity and no less than six new plant species were discovered in 2012. These discoveries, along with the countless records of rare, endemic and threatened species are testament to the importance and biodiversity worth of this overlooked and under-valued habitat. This Field Guide is an important record of this unique and severely threatened ecosystem, and will be a vital addition to any nature lover’s bookshelf.

Part of the Fynbos biome, Renosterveld is one of the world’s most threatened vegetation types, with just 5% of its original extent remaining. Focusing specifically on the Renosterveld of the Overberg region in the Western Cape, this field guide is the first of its kind to cover this highly endangered ecosystem, characterised by nutrient- rich soil which has been exploited for agriculture. This is an outstanding, multi-author publication. An in-depth introduction sets the scene, defining what Renosterveld is and giving some historical background to the ecology of the area. The plant section follows, featuring over 980 plant species from the common and ‘showy’ to the weird, obscure and often-overlooked. A shorter section of 140 animal species showcases the diversity of creatures found here, despite severe habitat loss and fragmentation. Additional features include a glossary with supporting illustrations, guidelines for landowners and farmers, and a comprehensive index.

7 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

Fynbos Manning, John (2020). Pocket Guide. Fynbos. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 11x18 cm, 176 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs, sketches and distribution maps. ISBN 978-1-77584 -695-6. R190.

Rhino wars Olivo, Silvana (2019). Zambezi Valley. The Lost Stronghold . Published by Camilla Singh, promoted by Helco Promotions (contact Helen Holyoake at helen@ helco.co.za.) Soft cover, 15x23 cm, B&W photographs, 372 pp. ISBN 978-1-71802-546-2. R295.

This is an historically important book about the battle to protect the black rhino living in the Zambezi River Valley, at that time the greatest concentration of this species in Africa. This is the story about how the 'last stronghold' became the 'lost stronghold'. Silvana Olivo, then 21, became the official Italian chapter of 'Operation Stronghold', and this is her account of her experiences in Zimbabwe of the rhino wars of the 1980s. Gangs of armed poachers with automatic rifles steadily wiped out rhino populations in Africa, starting in the west, then south of the Sahara to Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. By 1980 black rhinos, that had numbered around 65,000 in the 1960s, were down to 15,000. The onslaught then engulfed Zimbabwe, and the Zambezi Valley was seen as the last stronghold in that country. The war against poachers by heroic game scouts and rangers, who risked their lives for very little in exchange, was led by the legendary Glenn Tatham as the initiator of Operation Stronghold. The book reads like a thriller, as the pace of the emergency unfolds in Silvana's words, as she takes the reader through her experiences in the field. The aftermath of sickening slaughter of rhinos and the disturbing killing of poachers leaves the reader with a sense of outrage that this should ever have happened. But make no

This new addition to Struik Nature's pocket guide series features over 300 of the most spectacular and commonly-seen species from South Africa’s renowned floral kingdom – all in one handy, easy-to-use guide. There is a vast amount of information in the pages of this compact little book. The introduction describes the world of fynbos, detailing the origins, diversity, adaptations and conservation of this unique flora. The species are presented in detail, with each entry featuring a succinct description of the plant and its habitat, and comparisons with similar species and flowering times, as well as a full- colour photograph and a distribution map. There are interesting facts about each species, as well as a 'floral key', using symbols to denote main identifying features. The species are divided into ten distinct groups, and an illustrated floral key on the inside front cover gives readers a smart tool with which to identify species more accurately. More about the ingenious 'floral key': for each species there is a shortened code that describes the characteristics of the flower. For example, the code S3 P3 St3 O describes a flower with three sepals, three petals, three stamens and a superior ovary. The photographs, by the author and Colin Paterson-Jones, are superb, and this compact guide is an invaluable aid for anyone interested in South Africa’s astonishing floral treasures that are to be found in the south-western Cape Province.

8 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

GOOD READS

mistake, the poachers would not hesitate to shoot their way out of a threatening situation, and game scouts too were killed and injured in this war. Silvana was on the spot when many such events occurred, and she flew in light aircraft and helicopters with the dedicated people trying to prevent the extinction of the rhinos in the valley. The task was made harder by severe economic and political constraints, and also by adverse international public opinion due to the so- called 'shoot to kill' policy and the controversial management of elephants in Zimbabwe. Dr John Hanks has also written about this attack from international animal rights movements in his book called Operation Lock . With Zimbabwe's move towards a dictatorship, and as its economy imploded, political interference negatively affected the National Parks and Wildlife organisation that had been such a success in times gone by. Many of the leading players, including Glenn Tatham, found their positions untenable and left. From the visionary government conservation policies of old, rhinos are today found only in private conservancies and some small, heavily guarded national parks in Zimbabwe.

In his Foreword, Clive Walker writes: "This book is a tribute to those who gave so much in their efforts to save Zimbabwe's rhino. The battle and the war now continue in my own country, and rhino elsewhere in Africa remain under grave threat. 1994 is not 2019 and the desire to acquire rhino horn and the prices paid today are staggering. Where will all this end? Some believe only when the last rhino left standing dies." This is an important book. For me it is further confirmation that in a world where some people are prepared to pay 'staggering' prices for rhino horn, the obvious solution, and the only hope for the survival of rhinos, is to establish a legal trade and controlled market for rhino horn. Continuing the same kind of war that was lost in the Zambezi Valley thirty years ago seems like a mindless repetition of a futile exercise that can only end in tears.And those that are so adamantly and aggressively opposed to a trade in rhino horn, from government ministers to royalty to animal rights campaigners, will have contributed in no small part to that bucket of tears.

Don't miss our article about the African Pygmy-goose on page 37

9 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

IN MEMORIAM

South Africa loses one of its most ESTEEMED CONSERVATIONISTS

A Tribute from the Timberwatch Coalition

The sudden passing of Keith Cooper on 20 June 2020 has left a void that will be difficult to fill. He worked tirelessly on many fronts and will be greatly missed by all who are passionate about protecting nature and caring for the Earth.

As the National Director of Conservation for the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), Keith realised the importance of building coalitions to take forward the environmental struggle during the transition to democracy in the 1990s. At that time, groups were emerging with a focus on mountain and coastal issues. As such, Keith championed the formation of Bergwatch and Timberwatch, and played a role in establishing Coastwatch KZN. By 1991, it was evident that a watchdog organisation, committed to the protection of our mountain wilderness, was needed in the Drakensberg. This resulted in the formation of Bergwatch. Keith chaired Bergwatch from its inception and the passion and expertise within the group gave it considerable credibility with the Provincial Development and Planning authorities. Funding was secured when it became a formal project of WESSA. This enabled the employment of Merridy Pfotenhauer as a full-time co-ordinator. Bergwatch recognised that the traditional authority areas adjacent to the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park were in dire need of conservation, and that this could only be achieved with the support and involvement of local communities. One of the traditional

KEITH HENRY COOPER 1937 – 2020

authorities invited Bergwatch to work with some of its most remote mountain communities in the beautiful Mnweni area of the northern Drakensberg. Bergwatch members worked closely with a number of these communities to identify ways in which conservation activities could be implemented while improving the lives of community members. The Rand Water Mnweni Trust aimed at developing a blueprint for community-based conservation projects. At this time, Bergwatch also started working with mountain communities on the conservation and judicious use of natural and cultural resources, including the ancient San rock art for which the area is famous. Interest earned from a two-million-rand capital injection into the Trust was initially invested in two

10 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

IN MEMORIAM

projects being donga reclamation and a guide training programme. Bergwatch was key to the formation of the Timberwatch Coalition in 1995, as one of the main reasons for forming Bergwatch was concern over the impact of industrial tree plantations on ecosystems, water sources and communities. Keith was a founder member of Timberwatch and the coalition included: Earthlife Africa, Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), Botanical Society of South Africa, Bergwatch, Zululand Environmental Alliance (Zeal), Wilderness Foundation, and representatives of the Mountain Club of South Africa. Keith and his wife Mae played a pivotal role until their retirement, with Keith appointed chair several times and Mae acting as treasurer. Keith was dedicated to nurturing new conservationists and would regularly organise field trips to grasslands and other threatened areas in his famous WESSA kombi. Together with Harald Witt, he also represented Timberwatch on the KZN SFRA-LAAC (Stream Flow Reduction Activity Licence-Assessment Advisory Committee) for a number of years, while site visits were attended by Bob de Laborde who prepared reports giving reasons, where applicable, as to why Timberwatch opposed a new plantation licence application. It would be impossible to list all Keith’s achievements and the huge contribution he has made to conservation in South Africa. He put a stop to illegal beach cottages in Pondoland on the Wild Coast, lobbied for land in the Hluhluwe- Imfolozi Corridor to be incorporated into two nature reserves, and started Bergwatch to monitor our mountain heritage. He helped many communities maintain their indigenous areas and worked tirelessly for the preservation of the wetlands, grasslands, catchment areas, mountains and forests which form the basis of our vital ‘water factories’. In his eighties he continued to be active and in the past few years, had been involved in the restoration of forests in Karkloof, where a 15-hectare pine plantation was felled and replaced with indigenous trees. With the land returning to its natural state, creatures including the Cape Parrot, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, and dwarf chameleon have been returning. Indefatigable to the end, Keith was about to embark on a new project in Karkloof.

Keith Cooper was born and raised in Pietermaritzburg. Although his training was in finance and administration, nature and conservation were his passion and eventually became his career in which he was greatly encouraged by Ian Garland, Roddy Ward and Hugh Nicholson. His hero growing up was Dr Ian Player, whom he first met when he was eleven. He started working in conservation in 1961 as an administrator at the Oceanographic Research Institute in Durban. He then joined the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA) in 1972 where he served as the National Director of Conservation for thirty years. During this period, he established numerous conservancies, nature reserves and protected areas around the country, and helped communities adjacent to conservation areas develop eco- tourism and associated conservation projects. He began collecting plants and developed a keen interest in flowering plants (particularly those with medicinal value) as a result of undertaking a survey of forests in what was then Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal and Transkei. After retiring, he continued his involvement in various projects as an associate of WESSA and worked closely with Rob Scott-Shaw of Ezemvelo- KZNWildlife on a botanical survey of the Mbona Private Nature Reserve. His main scientific contributions were the authoring of two forest surveys: The Conservation Status of Indigenous Forests in Transvaal, Natal and O.F.S., South Africa (1985) and Transkei Forest Survey (1992); numerous WESSA field reports; and the editing of Studies on the Ecology of Maputaland (1980). Keith was also chairman of the Flora Publications Trust – now the Flora & Fauna Publications Trust – for ten years, from 1998 to 2008. In recognition of his scientific and conservation work in preserving South Africa's biodiversity, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2003 and was presented with a special 90th Anniversary Gold Medal Award by WESSA in 2016. Perhaps the best way to appreciate Keith’s extensive efforts to defend the environment and help communities protect the nature that sustains them, is through the many tributes and memories being shared by those who knew him personally. In his quiet, unassuming way he was an outstanding natural scientist, dedicated teacher and true humanitarian who touched

11 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

IN MEMORIAM

humility and dignity at all times and his selfless sharing of knowledge with the next generation of conservationists, which was always at the forefront of his influence.” Rose Williams, director of Biowatch South Africa said: “I remember Keith for his kindness, his lifelong commitment to the environment, the way he made opportunities for one to ‘see’ and how he gave so much support to the work of Timberwatch. Our thoughts are with Keith’s beloved family – Mae, his children and grandchildren – and with the many people who have connected with Keith during his extraordinary and committed life.”

many lives. Timberwatch Coalition members SDCEA, Biowatch and groundWork all recall their association with Keith and the support he was always willing to give. Desmond D’Sa, coordinator of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) expressed his sadness at hearing of Keith’s sudden death: “I knew him from my long- ago days with WESSA but also from his support for SDCEA and his integral involvement with Timberwatch and many other environmental groups. Early on, Keith understood that forming coalitions would strengthen communities, enabling them to challenge industry and government rather than exhausting the energies of small groups and concerned individuals. He will be greatly missed.” Bryan Ashe, chair of Timberwatch, has many recollections of the years he worked with Keith: “Working with Keith was always a learning curve, from setting up Timberwatch, to community conservation initiatives in Ndwedwe, or visits to the Mnweni tourism project. I shall forever hold these memories close, as well as his

With thanks to The Timberwatch Coalition timberwatchsa@gmail.com www.timberwatch.org.za

12 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

IN MEMORIAM

uMthimkhulu A PERSONAL TRIBUTE

In this 'obituary' I am going to deviate from the usual format and dwell on Keith’s major contribution to tree and indigenous forest conservation.This because that is mostly where the two of us shared a common passion – people and trees . As a young graduate from UKZN, Pietermaritzburg, I met Keith in the early 1960s when we were both on the committee of then Natal branch of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Society of South Africa. Back then, the Natal membership numbered in the many thousands and we were by far the biggest and most active branch; even with our own magazine edited by Creina Bond. For those wishing to find out more please go to the WESSA website and look for what else he achieved – a very deserving Society Gold Medallist and human being. He will be missed for many a year to come.

On the shortest day of the year a colleague and long- time friend fell for the last time, and with his passing the sun set on a significant career in wildlife conservation spanning many decades. A giant tree has fallen and we need to understand the magnitude of our loss

EUGENE MOLL

Back then we often lead monthly member excursions to many localities of natural history interest; these were regularly attended by 40 to 100+ members, together with their families.When the numbers were high Keith and I split the group - with him taking the birders and me taking the more botanically minded folk. On such occasions we always had a friendly competition to see who could get the longest species list – Keith counting the birds and me the trees and shrubs. I well remember a Hawaan Forest walk

Keith Cooper (left) and Eugene Moll next to a giant Podocarpus henkellii in the Karkloof Forest

13 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

IN MEMORIAM

where I was very pleased to count some 50 species, but Keith came in with a broad grin, because he had just seen a Narina Trogon, that took his bird list to 60+. I soon learned that not all the birds on his list had been eye-balled; many were identified by their calls! This discovery lead to some quiet banter, with me saying that I too could claim trees that I had not specifically seen that day because on previous visits I had recorded them in the area. Clearly Keith had an exceptional field observation ability (and as far as birds were concerned, he was as good as some of my other colleagues and friends like Carl Vernon, Walter Lawson and Richard Dean). Back then Keith knew all his birds but not his trees,

Participants of the first national fieldwork training course - Giants Castle 1967

council effectively fighting these threats culminated in the 'sacking' of the council at a National AGM in the Blue Waters Hotel in Durban. This resulted in head office being re-located to Pinetown with Keith the first Director; and Creina Bond the editor of African Wildlife magazine, which changed to an A4 format, and was eventually printed in full colour. Being the director of the Society did not quite fit with Keith’s passion for conservation, his people and field skills.Thus, John Fowkes was soon appointed co- director, with Keith eventually moving sideways to be Director Conservation – a position he held until he retired. Post-retirement, Keith simply seamlessly continued with his conservation work, that was his life’s calling, still assisted by Di Dold. Keith’s latest on-going project was his dream to link Afromontane forested areas in the Karkloof - where generous financial support from the Nicholson Trust enabled him to grow that vision. Keith’s had a number of 'tree' achievements. By no means the least of these was a massive three to four- year survey of all forest patches of two ha or more in size in South Africa. This survey, where he listed all woody species and birds in every forest patch, was part of a National Forest Inventory (most large forest areas had previously been surveyed: by McKenzie [all Cape forests west of Knysna], by Geldenhuys [PhD on Knysna Forests], and others). All of Keith’s remarkably valuable data are housed securely with Prof Timm Hoffman in the Plant Conservation Unit at UCT and are freely accessible to anyone who would like to use these data. Other achievements were contributing to more than 50 Fieldwork Reports - many of which were the catalysts to the proclamation of areas as small reserves of one form or another, some examples being the Liff Bush and Hawaan.

Keith Cooper was passionate about encouraging young conservationists, especially from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. In the photograph he

so we started teaching each other - and he was an amazingly quick and excellent learner - with an ultimate field tree ID ability better than mine; while my bird ID skills certainly improved, they were never a patch on his! The late 1960s and early 1970s were turbulent times in the Society with the head office in Johannesburg and a council of what we considered to be 'arm-chair elders'. This was the time when the Fieldwork Section of the Society was born, attracting many passionate citizen scientists with Kosta Babich in Johannesburg and an even bigger following in Natal. It was also a time when there were many pressing conservation challenges in South Africa – such as Coastal Dune Sand-mining close to St Lucia, the projected deproclamation of Mkuze Game Reserve, a proposal to mine anthracite in northern Kruger Park, and the implementation of Odendaal Commission’s Report in what was then South West Africa (Namibia) that excised the land linking Etosha to the Koakoveld and the coast. Our lack of faith in acknowledges project work by young isiZulu speaking learners. Photograph: Lynn Hurry

14 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

IN MEMORIAM

Keith receiving the WESSA Gold Medal Award at the centenary AGM in 2016 - flanked by John Green (left) and Dr Richard Lewis (right).

When I left Eshowe in 1975 to take up a position in Pretoria, the work continued under the able hand of Garth Owen-Smith. It was then that Keith led the way in establishing the Wild Life Society’s African Conservation Education (ACE) programme with Garth as its first field-officer. From ACE the Society develop a dedicated EE programme under the successive leadership first of Simeon Mlindeli Gcumisa (1976 to 1983) and then of Dr Jim Taylor (1983 to 2018) It was while Gcumisa was with WESSA that, somewhere in the mid-1970s, Keith facilitated a meeting with various influential leaders of the time. Many of these later went into exile and eventually took up leadership positions in the Mandela cabinet after 1994. Keith’s work was always ahead of its time. Once the ACE programme was up and running, he supported the government to take over the logistic costs which were too much for an NGO. ACE then became a government / civil society partnership with WESSA. In this regard it probably became one of the first conservation civil society partnerships for conservation education. In a ten-year period virtually every traditional leader in KwaZulu-Natal, including most senior Izinduna, attended a five-day conservation and ecology training course. These courses were based at Twinstreams, the farm of Dr Ian Garland and were run by WESSA’s Mduduzi Mchunu. A part of the programme included a visit to Ian Scott-Barnes’ Nyala Game Range which gave participants the chance to see how a modern farm could practice biodiversity conservation and still remain economically viable. It’s worth recording that Twinstreams became, with Keith’s support, the first Environmental Education Centre established in Africa!

Keith’s work in Pondoland and the old Transkei also lead to significant areas being conserved, and his passion for education lead the Society to initiate with Lynn Hurry the ACE (African Conservation Education) project - working closely with Simeon Gcumisa and later Dr Jim Taylor amongst many others. Keith, along with other Society stalwarts like Ian Garland and Nolly Zaloumis, built a national reputation as someone who one needed to consult with respect to most biodiversity conservation projects. Eventually he was recognised for all this work by being awarded an Honorary PhD from the University of KwaZulu Natal and theWESSA Gold Medal. Keith was indeed a remarkable person. A quiet, unassuming and strong family man with a huge work ethic and a family support system that facilitated his making great achievements. Keith Cooper and the early days of Environmental Education in South Africa - Notes from Lynn Hurry 23 June 2020 Between 1969 and 1973, while I was lecturing at the Eshowe Teachers Training College, with the support of Keith Cooper, a Director of the (then) Wildlife Society of South Africa and two Zululand environmentalists, Ian Scott-Barnes and Ian Garland I ran a number of pilot short-course Environmental Education (EE) programmes for the final year students of the College - at the Scott-Barnes’ Nyala Game Ranch and Ian Garlands Twinstreams Farm. Keith’s support was greatly encouraging of the EE work from the start and so it was easy for us to invite him to be the guest of honour at the annual prize-givings where certificates of participation and prizes for the best reports were awarded.

15 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)

CONSERVATION

When freshwater and SALTWATERMEET

From an environmental management perspective, we have been forced into disciplinary silos. These are the product of philosophy of the sciences dating back to Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon, upon which Newtonian physics was based. In my view this has led to a situation where we have drilled down to such detail within each discipline, that we end up knowing more and more about less and less. This is certainly the case when we think of ecosystems, which we seem to divide into aquatic and terrestrial.

My interest is in water, as it flows through landscapes and crosses borders imposed by our own human perspective. These are imaginary borders that exist in our minds only, and as a transboundary water specialist I have invested considerable time in exploring the peculiarities that arise when a natural flow of water is intersected by a man-made boundary. Several boundaries exist, all reinforced by our academic structures and disciplinary silos. Three of these are of interest to me – freshwater surface flows including rivers and wetlands, aquifers and their invisible mysteries that dictate how groundwater works, and coastal waters

Prof Anthony Turton

sinks to the bottom, and freshwater is less dense, so it floats over the top. These two bodies of water behave differently and are separated by a clearly defined halocline. Where these two bodies of water meet, we often have different temperatures and sediment loads, so they each manifest as clearly visible colours, often with a thermocline between them. A thermocline separates water of different temperature, so in many cases where freshwater

particularly those around estuaries. In these places all three of these artificially defined systems intersect, so who is the resident expert in each? An ecologist? A hydrologist? A hydrogeologist? A limnologist or an oceanographer? All are specialist fields populated by absolute experts, but the way they intersect has always fascinated me. I have invested considerable time in exploring the interface to the point where I can now present some of my preliminary findings. In Issue 76 of African Wildlife and Environment I presented some work on estuaries, focusing on the fact that freshwater behaves differently to saltwater, because of fundamental physics and chemistry. A brief summary of what I presented in that article is centred

meets saltwater, there is both a halocline and a thermocline, which happen to coincide at that precise point of contact. Whitfield (1999) shows that both temperature and salinity are of importance to the assemblages of marine organisms. Image 1: Groot Brak River estuary and beach at Botha and Outeniqua Strand showing all the key elements of freshwater flows from an aquifer into the ocean. Image courtesy of Google Earth.

on the fact that freshwater is less dense than saltwater, so it flows on top of it where they meet, and mixing is quite difficult. Between these two bodies of water, a halocline exists. That halocline can be thought of as a barrier separating water of different salinities. Saline water is denser, so it

16 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)