Our Stories

In Part two in our Q&A with Wits master’s student Daniel Rossouw, find out more about his methodology for gathering data, for example studying soil samples, to determine the pangolin’s role in the ecosystem.

The chance discovery of a Pale Ciliate Blue brings Tswalu’s species count to 83 butterflies, which is remarkable for a semi-arid area in the southern Kalahari according to lepidopterist Reinier Terblanche.

Wits PhD candidate Azraa Ebrahim is studying the thermal physiology of a snake called a puff adder, a project that falls under the climate change focused Kalahari Endangered Ecosystem Project (KEEP).

In part one of a two-part Q&A, Daniel Rossouw tells us how he came to be researching pangolins on the Tswalu reserve, a new project that falls under the umbrella of the Kalahari Endangered Ecosystem Project.

Keeping track of a collared cheetah has been full of surprises for conservator Micole Monteiro. Close monitoring as this mother raises her cubs has given Micole renewed respect for the challenges that face female cheetahs.

Sustainability champions are an integral part of Tswalu’s sustainability journey. These volunteers raise awareness among those who live on the reserve to be more accountable for their carbon footprint.

Biodiversity accounts for the variety and variability of life on earth, from genes to entire ecosystems. Marcus Westberg outlines the many reasons why restoring biodiversity is essential to both planet and people.

The human disconnect from the healing power of nature has been a long time coming, made worse by our overwhelming reliance on technology. We need to carve out time in nature, suggests Marcus Westberg.

Cheetah sightings are excellent on the reserve. To find out what it takes to habituate these cats to the presence of humans, Marcus Westberg shadowed conservator Clement Motau for a day.