World Nature Conservation Day: South Africa’s natural heritage is disappearing quietly
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As we observe World Nature Conservation Day on 28 July, it is worth asking: how many of South Africa’s most important natural places remain invisible until they are gone? By Wentzel Coetzer 27 Jul 2026 Dr Wentzel Coetzer is a registered professional natural scientist (Pr.Sci.Nat.) with a doctorate in nature conservation from Nelson Mandela University, and is a member of the Greater Kabeljous Partnership. Dive Deeper Speed Read Listen Dive Deeper Just outside Jeffreys Bay lies Papiesfontein – three parcels of state-owned land, totalling 528 hectares, that contain one of the last intact remnants of Humansdorp Shale Renosterveld.
- ▪As we observe World Nature Conservation Day on 28 July, it is worth asking: how many of South Africa’s most important natural places remain invisible until they are gone?
- ▪By Wentzel Coetzer 27 Jul 2026 Dr Wentzel Coetzer is a registered professional natural scientist (Pr.Sci.Nat.) with a doctorate in nature conservation from Nelson Mandela University, and is a member of the Greater Kabeljous Partnership.
- ▪Dive Deeper Speed Read Listen Dive Deeper Just outside Jeffreys Bay lies Papiesfontein – three parcels of state-owned land, totalling 528 hectares, that contain one of the last intact remnants of Humansdorp Shale Renosterveld.
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| Original publisher | Daily Maverick |
| Canonical URL | https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2026-07-27-world-nature-conservation-day-south-africas-natural-heritage-is-disappearing-quietly/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:41:51 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-27T21:43:28.362Z |
| Last seen | 2026-07-27T21:43:28.362Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
World Nature Conservation Day: South Africa’s natural heritage is disappearing quietly Most conservation losses do not begin with bulldozers, but with indifference – a landscape dismissed as ‘just scrub’, a patch of land assumed to have little value, a decision postponed until the opportunity to protect it has disappeared. As we observe World Nature Conservation Day on 28 July, it is worth asking: how many of South Africa’s most important natural places remain invisible until they are gone? By Wentzel Coetzer 27 Jul 2026 Dr Wentzel Coetzer is a registered professional natural scientist (Pr.Sci.Nat.) with a doctorate in nature conservation from Nelson Mandela University, and is a member of the Greater Kabeljous Partnership.
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