Fred Kockott, Daily Maverick Journalist Profile

Articles

Coal mining fear sparks unexpected Mpumalanga conservation boom

2 weeks ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Fred Kockott

ROVING REPORTERS The highveld grasslands in Mpumalanga are highly biodiverse and rich in endemic species and ecosystems, offering a home to diverse plant and animal life, including endangered species such as wattled crane and oribi. (Photo: SAplants / Wikimedia Commons) The ecologically rich grasslands in Mpumalanga’s highveld have become a front line in the struggle between biodiversity and coal mining. Fearful of open-cast mining’s devastating impacts, a growing number of South African...
eThekwini bans fishing activities in Umngeni Estuary

Jan 10, 2025 | bizcommunity.com | Nokulunga Majola |Fred Kockott

Advertise your job vacancies2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more The eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has announced the prohibition of recreational and fishing activities from the Umngeni Estuary to the Blue Lagoon non-bathing beach. Image source: Zachary Andre from PexelsIn a statement issued on Wednesday, the municipality said the decision was in accordance with the Coastal Compliance Notice, issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
energising the youth for environmental change

Aug 13, 2024 | dailymaverick.co.za | Fred Kockott |Fortunate Mathonsi

ROVING REPORTERS OP-ED Educators should move beyond PowerPoint presentations and textbook material that could be shared online and adopt a hands-on approach to teaching and sparking curiosity by stepping out of the classroom for practical exercises and interactive games – teaching “naked”. Want youngsters to embrace nature and all its wonders? Then ditch traditional classroom habits, venture into wild spaces — even if that’s just stepping outside your back door — and teach “naked”.
Rhino poaching levels remain dire but good news from Kruger

Mar 12, 2024 | dailymaverick.co.za | Fred Kockott

ROVING REPORTERS Innovative collaborations that help address wildlife crime in the Kruger area are to come under the spotlight this week. Wildlife crime is complex, with no silver bullet as a solution. It’s entangled in the very fabric of our society. But there are conservation success stories that need to be told, especially in the Greater Kruger area. Could such success stories be replicated elsewhere in South Africa and beyond?
Addressing Wildlife Crime: Good News From The Kruger

Mar 11, 2024 | goodthingsguy.com | Fred Kockott |Tyler Leigh Vivier

Innovative collaborations that help address wildlife crime in the Kruger area are to come under the spotlight this week. FRED KOCKOTT reportsSouth Africa (12 March 2024) – Wildlife crime is complex with no silver bullet as a solution. It’s entangled in the very fabric of our society. But there are conservation success stories that need to be told, especially in the Greater Kruger area. Could such success stories be replicated elsewhere in South Africa and beyond?
Why we must safeguard our forest muthi

Nov 25, 2023 | standardmedia.co.ke | Steve Mokaya |Fred Kockott

There is a vast amount of medicinal wealth found in Africa’s forests, but in the absence of formal intellectual property rights, traditional healers can count themselves lucky if they get crumbs from the big pharma table for any traditional cures developed into drugs. None of which is to say healers make it easy for those who wish to help them…A bit like a big chunk of beautiful African mahogany, the problem is a knotty one.
Keen to save rhinos? Focus on their rear ends – not their horns

Sep 19, 2023 | dailymaverick.co.za | Fred Kockott |Matthew Hattingh

ROVING REPORTERS Amid the increasingly bloody poaching conflict, a more nurturing approach is required to further rhino conservation, says a former head of conservation at SA National Parks. A name change as a child gave Hector Magome the steel to face life’s battles on his journey to become a leading rhino conservationist. When the going gets tough, 62-year-old Magome likes to remember his mom, and how, when he was a boy of seven, she gave him a new name.
Why a 'fetish' for forests might imperil conservation efforts

Sep 12, 2023 | standardmedia.co.ke | Fred Kockott |Savannah Burns

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Well, that’s how the old adage goes. But what if we’ve got it wrong? What if planting trees is not the panacea for climate change it’s often touted to be? And what if, under certain circumstances, tree-planting does more harm than good? These are questions ecologist and biogeographer Prof William Bond would like more of us to begin asking.
Why a ‘fetish’ for forests might imperil conservation efforts

Sep 7, 2023 | dailymaverick.co.za | Fred Kockott |Savannah Burns

ROVING REPORTERS Although trees help combat climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, the positive impact of mass tree planting programmes has been grossly exaggerated. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Well, that’s how the adage goes. But what if we’ve got it wrong? What if planting trees is not the panacea for climate change it’s often touted to be?