For those of you who did not catch it, we highly recommend spending five minutes to read and digest the SA Forestry online article “Paraquat or not?” Chris Chapman and his team have done a brilliant job summarizing the key issues and challenges, both now and going forward. Read on

It may be an old article, written by Ross Pomeroy for the online website Real Clear Science in February 2016, however, there are still some interesting points that are worth digesting. In the article, Pomeroy provides a logical argument as to why many widely held concerns that glyphosate is toxic, ... Read More

This week, a new infographic by CropLife International landed on my desk which got me thinking. The infographic urges farmers to ask three questions every time they purchase pesticides. Is it authentic? Who made it? Is it legally registered? By doing this, the farmer is empowering themselves to ensure the ... Read More

In an article first published by Prof. Marc Zimmer in theconversation.com and later republished by the Washington Post, chemistry professor, Marc Zimmer discusses his top tips for detecting fake news, as he finds himself frequently asking “is this science or is it fiction”. Tip one: Seek the peer review seal of ... Read More

In November, the New Waste Act was gazetted in Government Gazette 43879 (Notice No. 1184), setting out targets to drastically reduce the amount of waste that enters South Africa’s landfill sites. The new Waste Act is part of the National Environment Management legislation, which places “extended producer responsibility” on ... Read More

“The message must be clearly understood, if we delay in putting every effort towards saving and protecting our honeybees, we will lose so much of our country’s unique biodiversity. The road to repair the damage we are doing now will be very long and a very difficult one” – Inge ... Read More

Pesticide resistance is part and parcel of daily forestry and agricultural operations, with the list of superweeds growing – I am sure there are probably “super” pests and pathogens too if you look to our colleagues in the nurseries. An article in Agriorbit provides some interesting pointers on how ... Read More

In a brilliant article by Anja Gassner, Global Landscapes Forum science advisor and Senior Scientist World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Philip Dobiee Senior Fellow, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and Terry Sunderland, Professor in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, the authors make a bold statement: ‘The UN Convention on Biological Diversity – ... Read More

A study published in Global Change Biology presents the results of an expert survey on how likely global trends this century will affect the variety of life on Earth, its ecosystems and – as a result – the lives of humans. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the increase in the spread of non-native plants ... Read More