it could be green. very green. or the as blue. b.s. . winds. winds as nothing. more red definitely red. or just you know if that's what you prefer the old couple couples very special in georgia choose your favorite color. well everybody and welcome to the new edition of eco africa. coming to you from lagos nigeria yes the fossil park and with me today is my colleague all the way from jihadi ese are you doing today hey auntie i'm doing just great

thanks and hello to all you have us. on today's program we've got a wonderful report for right here and south africa about the important role livestock herds can play in maintaining biodiversity but there's more of course. we had to be easier to see what's being done to protect the bar so that. we learn how an army of insects can provide excellent pest control. and that lives are unique and still the prince all self legs. if you head out into the open country here in south africa you can't help but notice the thousands of kilometers of fencing that cuts across the land intended to contain herds senses actually have a devastating effect on the environment not only are they a deadly trap for wildlife the also prevents livestock from roaming freely which leads to all the grazing and men's degradation summer it is and now reversing this

trend spading an ecological revolution. lead their lives took on to the great plains in central south africa aren't allowed to lead or to protect the grazing they have to be kept on the shore but they can only eat the plants. has years of experience and have seen how the landscape has changed since he's been grazing animals. and has made it. their pitches and. ask growth was not that much but now things we have that it is a process are heading. in that nor is it now changing even on crazing that is more quote actually to. be had as a part of the shift back biodiversity project it supports commercial lifestyle

keeping weight lifting land restoring these 2400 hectare farm. the kind who was once much greener and home to millions of antelope and buffalo the hooves loosened the topsoil and the droppings. in a big drug related to the great migrations of the past the predicted employees to lead lives took over the plains. the bush much the political leader is confident that had that's going to help revive the whole region through the year to this referendum. as we fundamentally believe that this method of farming give space for wildlife to co-exist with production agriculture so that's really the simple vision is to find a mechanism by which we can. foster biodiversity on production farms the thousands of kilometers of fences needed for

the intensive livestock agriculture out of one of the main reasons why wildlife has disappeared fences prevent the animals from running free such for grazing land in water the often end up tangled in the barbed wire bush much wants to remove or fences on the farm since he started the put it 5 years ago hundreds of kilometers of fence line have already been dismantled and stored in the sheds like this one but it will be at least another 3 years before the families fenceless. in order to study the effects of the fenceless farming methods on the environment ecologists are monitoring the put it over the past 2 years headley such a janine mcmanus and a group. students have recorded the number of plant species selected study sites. in europe. in addition the group evaluates the athlete you decision index the index is the timing by the amount of protein seen on the ground by satellites and allows

you such as to compare plant growth in different regions over time. and you can already start picking up changes in trains within way the herd has been grazing especially over a longer racing period in parts of the farm and the green index shows up quite pronounced and we compared it to traditional farms where it isn't quite as pronounced and they seem to be quite a significant color it's just looking at the pixels alone you know taking the green out of pixelization but from that alone you can really start seeing a difference. there are many positive signs in areas that have been grazed by the hundreds of plant growth slow leak world and most are returning to the farm more than $500.00 antelope have been counted and even a loop that was recently cited. i'm

a successful. especially since south africa is still recovering from one of the wost droughts in recorded history and. this process continues for the rest of the life of the so that is there any damage to the land and so that even the neighbors in iraq and can be more inspired about what it is seeing in history. we try to take i didn't think about now is showing some signs of healthiness. minnow them so the land of the great and most of their livestock due to severe drought for the ship but this is just something susan turned out to be very successful adding another $100.00 sheep. slowly but surely the product is turning into a profitable venture. it's not just animals that can devastate forests or farmlands fires and heat can dry out the ground so severely that entire sections of

forest may die out in the last few years 2000 acts as a forest have been destroyed by fires in northwestern tunisia alone we need wooded areas they prevent so you ocean to provide shade and storm oyster hussam home to you started an initiative called the solly and green and uses social media to call on his fellow tunisians to regrind devastated stretches all the land find out more in our during a bit series. forest fires have become a big problem in tunisia 2 years ago wildfires ravaged the country's northwest destroying 2000 hectares of forest. the result was widespread soil erosion and desert if occasion environmentalist who somehow mobilized people via social media to plant new trees to combat these are facts each see. link may be just

a drop in the ocean but as the activist says drops to accumulate he and hundreds of volunteers managed to plant some $20000.00 trees in just one month. we did receive support from the forestry authorities. but the tree planting action is a public initiative anyone can take part of it's the newly planted trees will also benefit local people economically pine nuts are used to produce popular baked goods the initiative soli and green is planning to promote similar tree planting schemes in other parts of the country. and how about you if you're also doing your bit tell us about it visit our website or send us a tweet. cash time doing your bit. we share your story.

keeping our planet green has become a serious concern around the globe the forests of rwanda are in danger to a small country with over 12000000 people right there is one of the most densely populated countries and africa and many trees they are cut down for cook fires yes that's true z. and that's why a non-governmental organization is aiming to protect the forest buying carding as many households as possible to use energy efficient stoves what as you will see benefit the lives of more than just the people let's go see this. they can only be found in the mountains and even here only in a few forests golden monkeys. golden monkeys are endangered their habitat is shrinking rapidly so conservationists are especially keen to preserve this

forest. clo de niro gets off to an early start on her to where she collects wood by the time she gets home she'll be tired and her back take. she can no longer carry so much wood now that she's had a baby so instead claudine frequently it. cooking on a traditional 3 stone fireplace wastes a lot of wood it takes hours for the mother of 4 to prepare a meal as most of the heat disappears into the room and the acrid smoke pollutes the air. about 18 months ago her neighbor. got a new stove she only had to pay part of the cost but even that is an affordable for most people here. with the new stove cooking takes only half as long and there is

less smoke pollution. but when. my health is improved my eyes don't water any more when i cook. my cough is gone and i no longer get dizzy. dean got her new stove from an austrian firm called lee connell. soon the company wants to equip even more communities around the national park with these cookers. the plan is to supply $50000.00 households all together. and distribute. a contributing to delay doctrine of carbon so we have those credits. again buying this dough from defunct. this is coffee husk residue which can be purchased cheaply from local farmers coffee is

a key export product in rwanda the husks are mixed with locally sourced clay to form an insulating material. that is then used to create clay cylinders like these which are placed inside the stove an element like this can withstand heat of 1300 degrees celcius from its walkies to insulate. to the flow and then create jimminy effect which is needed for efficient running of the few or so in the 2 where it is going to reduce on the smoke on the other products or combustion ones which are not healthy to the user. and to the environment. company developed the design together with the women who use the cookers. scientists from neighboring

yogananda have tested how much would they can save with it out surely we meant the money to fund a workshop we are finding that it goes on. 60 thing compared to the previous. consumption. protein used to spend 7 euro zone week on firewood now she only spends a 3rd of that. she has already bought 5 sheep with the money she saved they provide the family with wool and meat. the reduction in wood consumption is also relieving the pressure on the remaining primeval forest an important step in preserving the habitat of the endangered golden monkey. forest are not just home to a larger on and many tiny ones as well insects pollinate fruit trees flaws and

vegetables and they're also they also produce many useful tasty items like honey bees walks or so others helps a break down waste and plant otherwise accumulates in the environment and same insects even play an important role in pest control by facing on bugs that prey on useful plants let's see the story on the on the use of insects gardeners love lady bugs because they devour aphids. cats and his staff breed the colorful beetles and send their eggs to mainly private customers his company has been in the business for over 20 years not all their beneficial bugs are suitable for use outdoors though. of ochsner if you capture grown lady bugs and want to use them somewhere there's always the possibility that they will fly away so if you deploy ladybugs then only in enclosed spaces.

minute predatory mites on the other hand tend to stay put here they've made themselves comfortably at home on some bean plants the staff then harvest them along with the leaves they're attached to the predatory mites have already decimated an entire colony of spider mites here and bred prolifically in the process just a few leaves are enough to provide a customer with more than a 1000 of the useful predators. became natural pest control works particularly well if you use beneficial insects at the 1st signs of infestation you have to look at it mathematically if you have 100000000 pests you need 800000 beneficial insects to fight them that's an enormous number if you only have a 1000 pests you only need 20 beneficial insects so you have to identify the infestation at an early stage and deploy beneficial insects straight away. business

is booming the company sends insects to fight plant pests to customers across europe transport has to be speedy since both insects and their eggs can perish along the way katz has also visited greenhouses in ethiopia where plant breeders work with beneficial bugs but he says in conventional farming in africa it's not really advisable. to home in or in europe we have the advantage of having cold winters in this period the past population is refused to 0 but in tropical or subtropical regions that's obviously not the case pest populations there persist throughout the year it's very difficult to work with beneficial insects when pest infestation levels are high 5 and in my opinion that can only work in isolated cases war i 95 killing. so preferably in

controlled environments like greenhouses because beneficial insects have their limits the company also works together with the chemicals industry katz is preparing predatory my dogs for a manufacturer of conventional pesticides the industry is working to develop substances that won't kill the little helpers peter katz says that without artificial pesticides food security isn't achievable instead he wants to see chemical agents that have a lower impact on predators that can kill pasts. like these green lace wing larvae which hoover up in a big way they're a real boon for any garden now gardens are an essential part of an ambitious project aimed at stopping the certification here in opic every year the sorrow claims about 17 kilometers of. on the green green wall wants to put an end to the growing about it 1000 kilometer long belt of trees and plants that will run

through countries like senegal ethiopia nigeria. fossil mali as well and we will see that in our next report the gambia where one young man is doing what he can to help the projects at sea. kamal fatty is passionate about the environment he's the founder of green up gambia a young activist once about sustainable farming at an early age from his father and now he's eager to pass on his knowledge to the next generation. today kamal was visiting his former school to plant a tree with the students green club. you produce for the new government i wonder if the idea was not just right we learned that plants are very important it was a way that makes the dream to fly down people who seem to cut down trees without replacing

them so that's what's good brings up is all about it once a stop for a season and preserve them better to. me today they're planting and i'm brenda tree but one day provide shade. me. green clubs plant vegetable gardens on school grounds students are responsible for their upkeep. so far the country has 4 schools with fully functioning green clubs but kamal fatty hopes that many more will be set up in the future to help make the gambia green again. whether this question basically about africa in the global set up and well agricultural activities and climate global warming was just a passing idea and i was like you know you could try that you know go into the

garden. and gaze in activities or. counter some of the house that we're going through right now and they were they were they were all in for it. came a funny is on the way to caravan in the north bank region of the gambia practically all the land here has been cleared for agriculture kamal's father has been a farmer here for years if. this is full of trees what well you know what you can see. we use it as fences reuse it. you know people are growing this kind of. naturally now it is becoming bare but there was a pick. is a problem. to minimise the impact people try to green up their region for example with community run gardens. around the

whole garden the farm us plant economically viable trees like cashews or mangoes to effectively create a fence protecting their vegetables from animals. these planting techniques are directly linked to the africa union led great green wall. the idea is to plant trees from east to west africa to prevent desert if occasion to adapt to climate change and to improve food security. you know and we know that most of the children here don't have access to. you know. not eating healthily. so this green wall initiative will help to revive communities and give them the power and strength to be able to help themselves 20 countries are taking part in the great green project with the ultimate goal of restoring 100000000 hectares of

degraded land by 2030. let's cross the continent now and head to kenya where we do a little bit of detective work are you ready for that i sure am n.t. when i look out for an endangered her before that once roamed the savannah and bushland all over east africa now conservationists are trying to gather as much precise information about gravy zebras as possible in an effort to find out exactly how many are left the black to get some assistance from what's a cold a citizen scientists. at the crack of dawn a group of schoolchildren and like epia in northern kenya had out on a very special school trip. that part of a big project involving many teams across the region adults children and scientists drive as far as they come to find and photograph as many read the separatists as

they can. the 1st sighting separates yes but with normal thick stripes so the journey continues. and then they appear gravity separates with a distinctive stripes the teams get to work always photographing the animals right side. the photos the latest saved and analyzed using software was artificial intelligence. that compared with separate is already in the database also taken from the right each separate has a patent as unique as a fingerprint the photos from this large scale search operation and up with this mom daniel rubenstein is a wall of just from princeton university he's helped by tanya bag of both a computer scientist who's responsible for the image analysis they can clearly

identify which i'm normal has been and when. they're on the market i have them both beautiful and form groups and. what the research is really want to know is how many gravity separates the left. the most recent estimate was 2350 it's an important piece of information for the kenyan government if they really believe that the 2350 is the real number then they may invest and change policy protections they may engage the people and invest in them to change their behavior in a way that's profitable to them and profitable to the species but it all starts with accurate data. the search takes place say for 2 consecutive days which means the analysis tools can give them a very accurate estimate. daniel rubenstein one piece of the puzzle together from tens of thousands of photos. up on to the transition soil or sometimes up there

by having so many people engaged it's not dependent on my ability to find the animals collectively will find a large number we're never going to find them all but that's the beauty of doing a census as opposed to work. it's kenyan safari with a difference a project about nature that relies on big data and artificial intelligence. will come to the end of this week's africa featuring an inspiring mix of small initiatives big project and dedicated people thanks for joining us on the phone so long from here in johannesburg and see you next time see all the best on a good bye also for me i hope you'll tune in again next week for another edition of the show in the meantime please visit us on our web pages and media handles.

signing off from the fossil park in lagos nigeria.

it's going to. be. much. more. climate change. the state ability. environmental. globalization. biodiversity species conservation exploitation you know already.

human rights displacement to. the global empire to a local action. on. global 3000. i'm not laughing at the germans but sometimes i am but most are laughing with the german people german i think deep into the german culture. muted seem to take this grandma there to you just it's all there who they know hi rachel join me to meet the germans on the golf course. and the fact that the back of their.

the fs. or 1st. go up. the ladder. club was. a guy who has family and warner. and i will call you and. i will call. the metaphor. or they're my i want. well we're arming cattle on local galloway at the moment and. what i meant was i was shit out. that.

this is you don't use life for bro intense negotiations mexico signals tighter migration controls to stop moving us terrorists from going into effect on monday in record numbers of central americans are hurting through mexico to the us border but their numbers could twiddle is washington ramps up pressure on its southern neighbor to also coming up. all the boards spacewalk personnel so says the 1st

commercial visit to the international space station to take place next year but want to be a rocket to.