NGO Earthwatch Europe and multi-national Shell work together to conserve leopards and monkeys in South Africa

Across South Africa, conflict between humans and animals is rising due to increased habitat fragmentation caused by farming, commercial activities and government land reforms. In addition, local landowners tend to think of leopards as major killers of their livestock and primates as a major pest species, leading to lethal control measures being used across the region. 

Earthwatch is working with Shell in South Africa to help reduce human-wildlife conflict. Through their collaboration, the NGO and multi-national corporation deliver a results-orientated employee engagement programme – Earthwatch Expeditions – leading to personal and professional development opportunities and increased understanding of global sustainability issues amongst Shell staff, greater engagement with local communities, and direct environmental interventions. 

The environmental impact of the clothing industry is well documented. Last year in the UK alone, 235m items of clothing were sent to landfill. The fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions - more than all international flights and maritime shipping. For anyone who is looking to reduce their carbon footprint, cutting back on new clothes and shopping sprees is an obvious quick-win. But even when we know the facts, it can take us a while to commit to changing our behaviour.

As the UN Secretary General's Climate Action Summit gets underway in New York, Lucian J. Hudson, Chair, Earthwatch Europe, and Peter Hudson, writer on the environment and climate campaigner, consider the scale of the challenge we face, and the need for urgent - and unprecedented - collaborative action across government, business and civil society.

In August members of the Earthwatch team headed to Stockholm for SIWI World Water Week as part of the HSBC Water Programme. Launched in 2012, the HSBC Water Programme brings together expertise from Earthwatch, our corporate partner HSBC, and their charity partners WaterAid and WWF, to employ a holistic approach to tackling the global water crisis.