Wildlife in SA

The natural beauty of South Africa

South Africa, nicknamed the “rainbow nation”, as it possesses such diversity amongst its people in various ways. Culture, tradition, language, all attributes in which we are broadly diverse, but included within this diversity, is the abundance of natural life our country plays home to. Beautiful landscapes, mountainous areas, ocean sites, plants and animals which make up the many amazing ecosystems, all of which contributes to the overall beauty of our magnificent country. However, the raging impact of human activity has drastically declined the number of species within our country, and more importantly, on the planet as a whole, driving many to extinction, with only memories and visuals of their existence.

To many, the idea of conserving the natural environment, in all its forms, is of no or very little importance. The rate at which species are dying out, the collapse of food chains, the over exploitation of natural resources seems to not be alarming enough to create a great uproar for dramatic change.

The nature our country harnesses is one of the main reasons why many tourists visit this dynamic country. The various forms of life is a major tourist attraction, as well as the amazing site seeing opportunities, and is of great economic benefit to the country. Rather than the degradation of our natural environments to generate synthetic income generation, it would be of greater benefit and require less strain by allowing the nature of our country to persist and flounder, which can then be used as a long term source of economic sustainability, by providing jobs and being an even greater tourist attraction.

I firmly believe in the implementation of strict policies which prevent the degradation of the environment. These protection measure help ensure that we use our natural resources in a sustainable way, rather than continuing in activities that will eventually lead to our own collapse, such as fishing species of the ocean to such an extent, resulting in the collapse of the fishing industry. Rather than enjoying the benefits of nature for the moment, we need to come up with solution that will not only be beneficial to ourselves, but also to those of the future generations.

Personally, I do not care about economic or financial benefit, but rather, I have a natural love for all forms of natural beauty. The diversity of life in our country is what makes South Africa such a beautiful country. We need to do our best to conserve this natural beauty in order for our future generations to indulge in all that this country has to offer. It helps us understand how certain phenomena and natural events came to be, as there are many discoveries to be made, by using the various landscapes and organisms available to us.

The natural diversity of this country is of the most beautiful on Earth, and makes me proud to be a part of such a beautiful place. I believe that beauty is to be conserved and taken care of, much like that of our country, so as to be appreciated by the future inhabitants of this land, which we know to be “the rainbow nation”.

African Penguin population

Factors affecting the African Penguin population

Penguins are quite sensitive to environmental changes and are considered to be an indicator species, meaning that the survival of these species can be related to the overall health of the ocean (R. Webber).


Figure 1: African Penguins being released back into the wild

The African penguin has been drawing closer to extinction since industrial fishing has started in the Cape. These ever-increasing fishing practices has resulted in increased competition for food sources between commercial fisheries and the African Penguins, as smaller fish such as sardine and anchovy are becoming scarce with the large masses of fish caught out of the oceans (R. Crawford).

The anchovy and sardine population, which make up the bulk of the African Penguin’s diet, are also decreasing due to rising sea temperatures linked to climate change (R. Webber). The abundance of these prey species are known to influence success, and may be too low to stimulate population equilibrium.

Figure 2: oiled penguins

Oil spills are another cause of death for the African Penguin in the Cape. Once covered in oil, the feathers of penguins are no longer waterproof so they do not survive (R. Webber).

Older causes of the decline in penguin numbers can be attributed to egg collecting, as well as to guano scrapping.

The role of the African Penguin in its environment

As with any other ecosystem or food chain, a change in the penguin population will result in an upset in the functionality of that ecosystem. The African penguin helps control the population of smaller fish and is a source of food for larger predators. The decreasing population of the African penguin will thus result in the over population of small fish, assuming there will be no excess human fishing practices, and also the death of larger predators which prey on the penguins.

Economic benefits of the African Penguin

There is a lack of public understanding of the social and economic benefits provided by the natural environment. African Penguins encourage tourism in South Africa as these penguins are endemic to South Africa. Tourism can provide many benefits ranging from conservation to reducing poverty in rural communities. Tourism also has a direct impact on the community as tourists spend money buying various African souvenirs as well as supporting surrounding businesses, whether it is food, clothes or toy shops etc. when the overall economy is proceeding well, foreign investors will also invest their money in South Africa, as it will be identified as a profitable market.