BIO-DIVERSITY'S ROLE IN ENSURING THE "CYCLES OF LIFE"

The entire planet is dependent on the "Cycles of Nature", throughout the changing seasons with fertile earth to enable nourishment, clean air currents to ensure oxygen and transpiration, sunlight with warmth, and rainfall for life-giving water for all. The cyclical adaptability of Nature occurs all around us but there are unique examples like the Grasslands of the Serengeti. These Plains formed when the ashes from the Ngorongoro crater, when it blasted five million years ago, fell and covered an area of 7,500 square miles. The alkaline rich soils inhibit the growth of trees, but enable biodiversity of grasslands, inviting annual migration of herbivore herds from elephants to dikdiks. Following the herds are 27 species of carnivore, where the Lion claims the "Pyramid", and 500 species of birds. Nature displays a grazing sequence with Elephants and buffaloes being the first harvesters of the long course grasses, followed by the Zebras and the Wildebeest. Finally, the Egyptian geese tweak the shortest swards and the insects clean up the debris. In the Sherwood area of Durban there is a unique, protected Grassland habitat conserved under the umbrella of "D,MOSS" where no doubt comprehensive wildlife species once flourished uninhibited. Where Grasslands integrate with woodland species the evolution of the giraffe with its long neck and tongue enables it to enjoy the "browse lines" of the tree canopy with a hedge-clipping effect. International scientific monitoring of the abundance of wildlife populations around the world shows unbelievable declined by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018 . This is a code red warning for the planet and humanity. Climax forests, another essential area of bio-diversity, are critically "AT RISK". In the upper catchments with often cooler air more rainfall may fall, but will accumulate as nourishing groundwater and springs at lower levels. Where man has removed the natural forest density the steep land resource becomes vulnerable to erosion. The Flood conditions in April and May along the Coast, have caused costly and devastating erosion in the Umdhloti Region. Flash summer storms now increase the man-made RISK of collapse. Climax Forests provide natural hiding places for the forest buffaloes and elephants, which are noticeably smaller in size. Our Knysna Forest once hosted the Forest Elephant, another sad loss to our bio-diversity. The Living Planet Report indicates the on-going loss of species, but emphasizes the loss of approximately 10 million hectares of Forests annually. An area roughly the size of Portugal. The encroachment to meet the demands of exploding Humanity for food and fibre is evidence of our lack of awareness, ignorance and greed. Furthermore, depletion levels negate the absorption of our excessive carbon emissions, which impact "Climate Change" and Global Warming. No word of Forest Protection from Cop27 and our delegation! Now more than ever before, the private and business sectors need to meet the challenges. In our gardens, parks, along verges, roadways and the Seashore, we each have the opportunity to RESTORE Nature's wonderland. In turn the small mammals, bees, insects and butterflies will arrive. Where the larvae hatch the birds will rejoice at the protein feast. The seashore with waste litter, high E.coli levels and pollution is suffering a shocking neglect and contamination. However, a ray of light shines down from Nacala on the northern Mozambique Coast where Amy Donald is an example of skilled conservation with her Coral Restoration Program. We need these young creative minds for the future.Acknowledgement to the publication: "Pyramids of Life" by John Reader & Harvey Croze.