Endorphin Expeditions

23/10/2024

By embracing renewable energy, investing in cutting-edge technology, and rethinking travel’s environmental impact, innovative tourism and hospitality companies are setting a new standard for sustainable tourism in Africa.

While the journey towards sustainability may be complex, the rewards, for businesses, travellers, and the environment, are well worth the effort.

According to Marc Wachsberger, CEO of The Capital Hotels, the group is leading the charge in water conservation.

“The Capital Pearls and Zimbali, for example, have embraced innovative measures to address water scarcity and quality. The resorts adhere to blue drop status, hosts advanced purifications systems and internal water circulation while the Capital Zimbali has a backup reverse osmosis system that ensures clean water availability even if the city supply fails,” he says.

Meanwhile, Laurence Lipjes, General Manager at South African company SolarEdge Technologies, explains how Atzaro Okavango, a luxurious bush lodge in Botswana, now operates completely off the grid.

“Equipped with SolarEdge’s 216kWp solar system, Atzaro uses SE33.3k inverters, P730 power optimisers, and the innovative SolarGik Single Axis tracking system—the first of its kind in Africa. With 400kWh of storage capacity integrated with backup generators, with infrastructure in place the lodge has achieved complete energy independence,” Lipjes says.

According to Shanna Docherty, Regional Head of Trade Sales for Middle East and Africa (MEA) at Cathay Pacific, the airline has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has set a near-term goal to reduce its carbon intensity by 12% from 2019 levels by 2030. A central part of this strategy is the increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a cleaner alternative to fossil jet fuel that is produced from sustainable and renewable sources, which can reduce over 80% of its lifecycle carbon emissions.

WhyAfrica The Capital Hotels & Apartments SolarEdge Technologies Inc. Cathay Pacific

To read the full article click on the link below or visit the Endorphin Expeditions website.

#

Sustainable tourism in Africa. Africa’s tourism sector needs to evolve to meet the challenges of climate change.

14/10/2024

Day 2 on Kilimanjaro - Shira Camp

Rising through the clouds is Uhuru peak in the background as hopes are high on day two in Shira camp, 3500m above sea level.

Look out for the first signs of altitude sickness, even at this elevation. But for now: Kilimanjaro Hakuna Matata

WhyAfrica Leon Louw Nicola Theunissen

29/09/2024

The results of an international study to understand how plants found in arid areas have adapted to these extreme habitats took scientists by surprise. The study, in which the University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa took part, have significant implications for protecting biodiversity as the planet warms and regions become drier.

“These sites provided unique data as South Africa’s drylands are particularly rich in plant species compared with many of the other sites included in the study,” said Professor Peter le Roux of UP’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences who was involved in the study.

South Africa is very arid, with 85% of the country defined as drylands. We typically think of only the Karoo and the Kalahari as being arid but most of the rest of the country is also a dryland, including large portions of our grasslands and savannas.

Despite this, these drylands feature exceptionally diverse flora, including the Succulent Karoo, a biome along the West Coast that usually receives less than 200mm of rain annually yet hosts more than 6 000 plant species.

Many of these aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Drylands are defined as tropical and temperate zones with an aridity value below 0.65, meaning they have the potential to lose much more moisture than they receive via rainfall.

“Understanding the ecology of our dryland ecosystems is critical for how we manage and conserve these arid environments, as most of our country lives in, and relies on, drylands,” said Prof Le Roux.

A key hypothesis at the start of the study had been that aridity would reduce the diversity of plants, leaving only those species capable of tolerating extreme water scarcity and heat stress.

However, the scientists found the opposite to be the case in the most arid rangelands of the planet,

Although fewer species are observed at local scale than in other regions of the planet (in temperate or tropical zones), plants in arid zones display an extraordinary diversity of forms, sizes and functioning – double that in more temperate climatic zones.

To read the full article click on the link below or visit the Endorphin Expeditions website

Hope for biodiversity conservation in Africa. A new study by the UP in South Africa shows that arid conditions can stimulate plant diversity.

09/09/2024

A reduction of the ice cover on Tanzania’s most iconic landmark could affect the region’s ecosystems and water resources.

We undertook a seven-day hike through the Kilimanjaro National Park recently to determine the impact of changing weather patterns on the mountain’s ecological functions.

The visit to Kilimanjaro was part of the 2024 WhyAfrica Road Trip through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. We also spend some time in Kenya.

Concern about Kilimanjaro’s icefields. A dramatic reduction in the ice cap of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is a cause for concern

21/07/2024

According to Zoë Jewell one of the founders of WildTrack, a non-profit which uses AI, data analytics and on-the-ground expertise to protect endangered species, small mammals are excellent indicators of biodiversity disruption because their replacement rate is very, very fast.

This means being able to measure their response to environmental change, be it natural or man-made.

For example, if a company is trying to develop a mine and they want to do an environmental impact assessment, we can use small mammals as indicators.

“Go in there and do a before study, a during study, and then follow it up with an after study. It's a very simple technique, very cheap, very easy to deploy, doesn't require a great deal of expertise, doesn't require a great deal of equipment.

“But it's not only the number of species that's important. We also need to know which species. Many are indicators for different types of environmental disturbance, for example showing up if there's a negative impact or a change in predator balance which might show why a grassland is being destroyed by mice when their numbers explode due to a lack of predation.

“Once the AI has produced a list of species, it will indicate the health of the environment.

“When you start looking, you realise what incredible variety there is. And small mammals actually account for up to 40% of all mammal species in some areas,” says Jewell.

“But people don't see them. They're almost invisible. But if you set up a long-term study, there would be great indicators of climate change. If you look at their species distribution, and look at their numbers, that would be an indicator of climate change.”

Tracking climate change clues Can tracking mouse footprints give us clues about climate change? By Yves Vanderhaeghen

08/07/2024

Last week the people of the Union of the Comoros celebrated the completion of a major road that will open-up its agriculturally rich areas and provide reliable access to its popular tourist centres.

The 49.2km section of the National Road 2 (RN2) will link the capital of Grande Comore (the main island of the Comoros archipelago), to the Foumbouni region in the islands south-east. The RN2 is the only access road to the popular tourist towns of Ouroveni and Male.

Improving connectivity is essential to enable Comoros to participate effectively in regional and global value chains, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area and in view of Comoros' accession to the World Trade Organisation.

The African Development Bank’s Board of Directors is expected to review the extension of USD136-million in grants for Comoros to participate in regional integration, including for the rehabilitation and extension of the port of Moroni, the expansion of the port of Boingoma, and the establishment of economic zones.

The African Development Bank’s portfolio for the Comoros comprised 10 projects with total commitments of USD106.7-million. Operations in the transport sector account for 78% of the total portfolio, followed by energy (9%), agriculture (8%) and multi-sector (5%) projects.

Strategically located in the Mozambique Channel, between East Africa and islands of the Indian Ocean, the Union of the Comoros is at the junction of several trade routes.

Comoros is densely populated, with approximately 465 inhabitants per square kilometre 53% of the population under 20 years of age. High population density places intense pressure on natural resources and the environment.

To read the full article click on the link below or visit the WhyAfrica website, your one-stop-shop for on-the-ground information and business intelligence about Africa.

WhyAfrica specialises in the sustainable utilisation and responsible extraction of Africa’s natural resources.

WhyAfrica supports the empowerment of African communities, especially women and the youth, through development projects.

Image credit: Aboodi Vesakaran from Unsplash

New road drives growth in Comoros. A new road is expected to offer huge benefits to the people on the island of Comoros.

20/06/2024

Malawi’s population has grown from five million in 1975 to more than 20 million today and this has put pressure on all Malawi’s natural resources.

Fish in Lake Malawi are no exception. Fish are traditionally regarded as a free resource, which anyone is able to take. The ever-growing number of people who are catching fish, either to feed themselves or to sell has led to devastating overfishing across the whole of Lake Malawi (source: Agri Malawi 2019).

The fisheries sector is a vital part of Malawi’s economy and provides employment to more than 60,000 fishers with another 500,000 people supporting them through boat building, net sales, fish processing and marketing.

The most popular fish to catch is called Chambo. Each adult Chambo can produce 300 young. Sadly, overfishing has resulted in three out of the four species of Chambo being critically endangered and Chambo fisheries are now almost on the brink of collapse.

Last year during we joined a group of local fishermen in Salima, Malawi, and spent a few hours fishing with them. In the video clip we are on the way back to our village after a long day on the water.

This year we will make our way further north into Malawi to determine what impacts a number of fishing, conservation and community programmes have had on the sustainability of fishing on Lake Malawi.

19/06/2024

Tanzania is the jewel in the gemstone crown of East Africa. The country is a major producer of tanzanite, a variety of zoisite, but also exploits deposits containing chrysoberyl variety alexandrite, quartz variety amethyst, beryl variety aquamarine and emerald, cordierite, various gem garnets including tsavorite, corundum varieties ruby and sapphire, spinel and tourmaline, notably dravite.
Tanzanite accounts for the bulk of income generated by gemstones. Tanzania also hosts economic deposits of kimberlite-hosted diamonds mined at the Williamson (Mwadui) mine.
Gold production contributes to almost 15% of the country’s GDP and past and present gold mines include Golden Pride, Golden Ridge, Bulyanhulu, Geita and Tulawaka, all of which are located in the northern region of the Dodoma (Archaean) craton’s Lake Victoria goldfields.
(Source: Minerals and Gemstones of East Africa by Bruce Cairnross 2019)

Image credit: Takemaru Hirai from Unsplash

17/06/2024

Endorphin Expeditions love rocks!

Besides all else we love in the natural world, rocks and rock formations really excites us!

During some of our road trips we track, record and photograph rocks and geology across Africa.

No matter what shape or size, or whether visible above ground or invisible beneath our feet, the rocks and rock formations of Africa continue to intrigue us.

https://endorphinexpeditions.co.za/

12/06/2024

Hunting dinosaur bones

In Africa almost every single dinosaur fossil unearthed is a new species. Despite its rich palaeontology, the continent’s dinosaurs have been largely ignored. Nevertheless, the history of hunting for dinosaur bones in Africa is an extraordinary tale dating back almost to when the study of palaeontology was born.

According to the British Natural History Museum the first dinosaur discovered by scientists in the southern hemisphere was found in South Africa just three years after the word ‘dinosaur’ was created by Sir Richard Owen in 1842.

During the nineteenth century the largest dinosaur expedition of all time and world-wide was not conducted in North America or Europe as many might expect, but in Tanzania in East Africa.

“Between 1909 and 1913 teams of scientists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, visited a site called Tendaguru in what was then German East Africa. The colonial expedition used hundreds of local workers to collect 225 tons of material from an area spanning 80 square kilometres. From this they excavated thousands and thousands of fragmented dinosaur fossils.

Eventually, scientists would piece these together to describe a number of new species, including the short-necked long neck Dicraeosaurus, spikey Kentrosaurus and towering above them all, Giraffatitan. All of these fossils remain in Germany to this day.

In 1928 Sidney H. Haughton unearthed the Malawisaurus dixeyi in the “Dinosaur Beds” of Northern Malawi. Malawisaurus means the Malawi lizard and is an extinct genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur. The “Dinosaur Beds” of northern Malawi dates to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous.

There was much excitement last week when scientists discovered what they would name the Musankwa sanyantiensis in the Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe. Musankwa is only the fourth dinosaur species ever found in Zimbabwe. The right leg of Musankwa was discovered in the southern shore of Lake Kariba.
It is believed that Musankwa stood at a height of 1.5m at the hip and walked on two feet. Using comparisons with other sauropodomorphs of similar size, the team estimates that this dinosaur weighed around 386kg.

The dinosaur story, like much in Africa, will remain untold, unless we go dig and start telling the real African story!



Image credit: Markus Spiske from Unsplash


https://endorphinexpeditions.co.za/hunting-dinosaur-bones/

10/06/2024

Great article have a look WhyAfrica

South Africa has over 870 recorded bird species, approximately eight per cent of the world's bird population. And while the country’s avitourism sector has blossoming growth potential, more needs to

10/06/2024

Tanzania is the sixth largest per-capita consumer of beer in Africa.

Beer is known as pombe in Swahili and 90% of beer consumed in Tanzania is of homemade-style brews.

However, the most recognisable bottled beer brands in Tanzania include:

• Kilimanjaro Premium Lager (4.5%)
• Serengeti Premium Lager (5.5%)
• Ndovu Premium Malt (4.8%)
• Uhuru Peak Lager (5.8%)
• Safari lager
• Eagle
• Chibuku

Serengeti breweries recently unveiled its rejuvenated identity alongside a new product innovation – Serengeti Lemon.

Since its inception in 1996, Serengeti has flourished into the largest bottled brand in East Africa. The new look reflects Serengeti’s journey of growth and evolution, resonating with the dynamic energy of Tanzania.

"We are thrilled to embark on this exciting journey, marking a new chapter in the Serengeti story. Our refreshed look and innovative products like Serengeti Lager, Serengeti Lite, and the newest addition, Serengeti Lemon, reaffirm our commitment to offering exceptional experiences to our consumers.

Today, Serengeti although a young brand born in 1996, has grown to become the largest bottled brand in East Africa thanks to the love and pride of Tanzanians," says Obinna Anyalebechi, Managing Director of Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL).

According to Rhona Namanya, Serengeti Head of Beer, Serengeti is more than just a beer; it represents the vibrant spirit and essence of Tanzania. Our re-launch is a testament to our dedication to staying true to our roots while embracing a forward-thinking approach."

07/06/2024

Drinking coconut water in Mozambique

Coastal Mozambique is synonymous with coconuts. Coconut palms grow along the tropical belt on the 26-degree latitude line, north and south.

About 14% of the Mozambican population depends on coconuts as their main source of income and nutrition or food. The country’s total production is about 60 000 tonnes of copra-equivalent, of which 50% is consumed locally.

Coconut palms have a lifespan of 100 years + with peak production between 10 to 30 years old. People collect the coconuts to sell in the markets or deliver them to factories that manufacture over 100 different products from the fruit including oil, copra, sugar, and healthcare items.

At one point, coconuts provided 80% of jobs in the workforce in Mozambique. The country saw its first coconut plantations in the latter half of the 1800s.

However, in the 1990s a deadly disease called coconut lethal yellowing disease began infecting coconut trees across the country.

Today, reports estimate that as much as half of the country’s coconut trees have been destroyed, making it impossible to sustain the same level of production as before.

In many parts of Mozambique, people who do not have access to water sources often rely on coconut water instead to quench their thirst.

Coconut water is rich in various minerals and electrolytes like potassium, calcium, manganese, antioxidants, amino acids, and cytokinins. Coconut water is the best source of potassium and contains almost 470 mg of potassium. It is low in calories, carbohydrates, and sugar, unlike other juices

Last year East Agro announced that they would set up a coconut factory In the Zambezia Province. The factory will produce cooking oil, coconut water, coconut fibre and copra. The facility, worth about USD4.8-million, will have capacity to process 20,000 coconuts per day.

06/06/2024

Malaria parasites are transmitted to human hosts by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. A diverse group of Anopheles (30 to 40 species) serves as vectors of human disease. For the Anopheles mosquito to become infective, they must bite, or take a blood meal, from a person already infected with the malaria parasites.

Anopheles mosquitoes require bodies of water, possibly small and seasonal, for their aquatic larvae and pupae. Suitable habitats range from ponds to water tanks, swamps, ditches and puddles. The adults can however live in dry regions such as Africa's savanna and Sahel.

According to research in a new report titled “The malaria dividend” by Malaria no more UK, African countries could see a GDP increase of USD127-billion dollars if the UN target to cut malaria by 90% from 2015 levels by 2030 is met.

This represents an average boost of nearly USD16-billion per year to African economies, which adds up to more than 10% of what all countries in Africa spend on healthcare in a year.

The research also showed that reaching this goal could generate an additional USD31-billion in exports to some of the most affected malaria endemic countries in Africa.

Countries like Nigeria could see a GDP boost of almost USD35-billion between 2023-2030, for Kenya and Angola this would amount to about USD9-billion, largely due to the size of their economies and high prevalence of malaria.

“Increasing investments towards ending malaria will save millions of lives and grow African economies by boosting trade and tourism. This will have knock-on-benefits for G7 countries and benefit trade between African countries,” says Sherwin Charles, CEO of Goodbye Malaria.

To read the full article click on the link below or visit the WhyAfrica website, your one-stop-shop for on-the-ground information and business intelligence about Africa.

WhyAfrica specialises in the sustainable utilisation and responsible extraction of Africa’s natural resources.

WhyAfrica supports the empowerment of African communities through development projects.



https://endorphinexpeditions.co.za/defeating-malaria-could-boost-african-economies/

05/06/2024

Africa is home to the world's most biodiverse regions. Eight of the 36 recognised global biodiversity hotspots are found on the African continent. These hotspots host, amongst others, more than 1,500 vascular plants that are endemic and found nowhere else on Earth.

These areas have already lost at least 70% of their primary vegetation. The East African coastal forests, ranked among the top-ten most threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world, are particularly vulnerable.

The rainforests of the Congo recently overtook the Amazon as the world's most significant carbon sink. This removal of carbon from the atmosphere is valued at USD55-billion per year. However, deforestation is progressing at a prodigious rate from the Congo Basin, across West Africa, diminishing the continent's ability to provide such essential ecosystem services.

Armed conflicts have caused significant damage to Africa’s biodiversity as experienced in many conflict-affected African countries, with enormous impact on protected areas due to military activities and population displacement. Examples include Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and the whole of the Great Lakes region which experienced significant decline in their wildlife populations within national parks and reserves.

It is estimated that 70% of Africa’s protected areas were affected by war between 1946 and 2010, with elephants, hippos, giraffes and other large mammals perishing (Daskin and Pringle, 2018).

In a report titled Preserving Africa’s biodiversity: Why funding is vital law firm White and Case, African governments have been taking steps to conserve biodiversity in recent decades, aiming to slow the rate of ecosystem deterioration and species loss.

However, these efforts have fallen short of the 30 by 30 goal agreed upon in the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Several factors, including country-specific development priorities and global conflicts, along with the high cost of borrowing and various in-country physical and social risks, are causing major constraints for access to funding.

Following the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15), the participating nations agreed upon the Global Biodiversity Framework. Its main goal—known as "30 by 30"—is to "ensure and enable that by 2030, at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed."

To read the full article click on the link below or visit the WhyAfrica website, your one-stop-shop for on-the-ground information and business intelligence about Africa.

WhyAfrica specialises in the sustainable utilisation and responsible extraction of Africa’s natural resources.

WhyAfrica supports the empowerment of African communities through development projects.



https://endorphinexpeditions.co.za/why-fund-africas-biodiversity/

05/06/2024

28/05/2024

The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa. Its drainage basin covers 1,390,000 km2, slightly less than half of the Nile’s. The river rises in Zambia and flows through eastern Angola, along the north-eastern border of Namibia and the northern border of Botswana, then along the border etween Zambia and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, where it crosses the country to empty into the Indian Ocean.

The Zambezi River traverses areas where the human population is scant as in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, for example. This area protects large parts of the Caprivi Strip in Namibia, south-east Angola, south-west Zambia, the northern parts of Botswana and western Zambia. The basin also drains the Cameia National Park in Angola which covers a surface area of about 14,450km2 where the human population is relatively low.

This massive river basin and drainage area is an extremely important supplier of fresh water, electricity, and fish, not only to the local communities living within the basin, but to the entire southern African region. Read more about the Zambezi by clicking on the link below or visit the WhyAfrica website, your one-stop-shop for on the ground information and business intelligence about Africa.

Travel planning company and tour operator Endorphin Expeditions’ Lakes, Oceans and Rivers overland expedition covers a large chunk of the Zambezi Basin. This multi-day road trip provides participants with an ideal opportunity to discover the magic of this great African river by boat, canoe and by camping on the banks of the 2,574km long colossus.

Endorphin Expeditions is a unique tour operator that not only specialises in surreal landscapes, national parks, wildlife, and natural resources along the river, but the company also looks at environmental and social challenges on the routes they travel and focusses on the management of natural resources in the areas they visit.

Travellers are encouraged to participate and ask questions during site visits and presentations by experts in national parks, wildlife areas, local community villages, mining operations, agricultural projects, and energy and infrastructure projects.

The aim of these expeditions is to give group members a broad overview of what is really happening on the ground in Africa in terms of development, biodiversity conservation, environmental management, and more insight into the project sites they visit.

Typical expedition members include investors, trade delegations, students, scientists, journalists, and travellers with a passion for Africa. A few companies have booked to use the opportunity as a team building exercise.

WWhyAfrica

Image credit: Leon Louw

https://endorphinexpeditions.co.za/african-travel-with-a-purpose/

18/05/2024

South Africa has conducted red list assessments for 12 taxonomic groups. These assessments are aligned to International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List guidelines for regional assessment of species. Findings give a clear indication of just how threatened South Africa’s biodiversity is.

About 35 of South Africa’s freshwater fish species are either endangered or critically endangered. This amounts to little under a third of fish species in South Africa’s fresh waters.

To reverse this South Africa must significantly scale up its investment. In the last five years R18.6-million has been invested in conserving freshwater fish species. It’s estimated that this investment must grow ninefold to effectively remove each endangered or critically endangered species from those lists.

Furthermore, eleven amphibian species are in desperate need of protection. To give them that protection, investment assigned to conservation measures will need to be scaled up fourfold from R22.3-million invested since 2019 to an investment of R92.5- million over the next five years.

It will require more than R965-million to save the 16 South African bird species in urgent need of recovery intervention, and more than R2-billion to ensure survival of the black rhino, wild dog and riverine rabbit.

More than 100 plant species are in urgent need of recovery action. Work is underway now to save only 14% of those (15 different plant species).



https://endorphinexpeditions.co.za/reversing-the-red/