The first global environmental summit held in Stockholm in 1972 led to the establishment of World Environment Day. The inaugural event, which celebrates the planet and promotes sustainable development, was first held on 5 June 1973. Fifty years on, the planet faces the challenges of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and environmental pollution. This year's theme, Only One Earth, not only [...]
The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the dangers that threaten the survival of many animals around the world. Therefore, it is a fantastic time to explore and investigate endangered animals of the Greater Dyer Island ecosystem with our DEEP students. This is what the students had to say about endangered animals: “When a species is defined as [...]
Thanks to a grant from the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) that allows us to deploy a specialised seabird ranger on Dyer Island, the African penguins and other seabirds on Dyer Island now have an extra pair of eyes to watch over them. DCF grant recipients are selected based on their efforts to implement comprehensive community wildlife conservation programs, stabilise, and increase [...]
It was African penguin love all round at the March for the Penguins fun walk. The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS), a project of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, was invited by Lomond Wine Estate to host their annual 5km fun walk at the venue. CEO of the Trust, Wilfred Chivell, says “We are grateful to the team at Lomond [...]
World Wildlife Day is celebrated in 2022 under the theme "Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration", as a way to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and to drive discussions towards their conservation. World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of [...]
A newly developed Geotrail based at the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) in Gansbaai, is a learning adventure which takes the observer from the very beginning of our planet, right up to the present day. It is a wondrous 4.6-billion-year tale of fact, woven around the geology, the rocks of our home, the evolution of life, mass extinctions, and the [...]
“I would like to join your group because it is inspiring and educating us about how to look after the animals of the sea. I think joining your group will make me see the world in a different way.” “I want to learn from you and the group about nature and learn to work with other people. I want to teach [...]
For the first time, the United Nations has declared World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2022 a United Nations International environmental day. Started in 1971 by a group of environmentalists, this acknowledgement lends further support in highlighting the importance of actions that ensure the conservation of wetlands as well as the sustainable use of wetlands for humans and planetary health. The theme for 2022 is Wetlands Action for [...]
The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary are returning 70 African penguins to their home on Dyer Island today (28 Dec 2021). A total of 202 chicks were removed between October and November and hand-raised at the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS), a project of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. The removal of compromised and orphaned chicks is one of the [...]
We need your support. The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary has admitted a large number of young African penguins from Dyer Island. The outbreak of Avian Influenza amongst wild seabirds in the Western Cape has seen an estimated 21172 dead birds with 13195 birds dying on Dyer Island off Gansbaai. The Cape Cormorant remains most affected with 20558 dead Cape Cormorants [...]
