The Kgaswane Mountain Reserve is threatened by a nearby development that has been extended to the border of the reserve. Residents, academics and experts are concerned that the development will have detrimental effects on the reserve’s vegetation and wildlife.
A study by researchers from Australia, Vietnam and China shows that the rates of decline in insect populations may lead to a staggering 40% of the world’s insect species going extinct over the next few decades.
The 800-hectare area chosen for the special economic zone, on which ground has been broken for the first stages of construction, houses species of animals, plants and insects that the surrounding residents rely upon.