Over 10 mountain gorillas are believed to have been lost after a series of raids this year by poachers in the Virunga volcanoes (Rwanda and DR Congo and Bwindi national park). The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has expressed concern over the recent wave of poaching and kidnapping of the endangered mountain gorillas whose population now stands at 670.

This report aims to provide an introduction to the key issues driving efforts to promote corporate social responsibility and accountability worldwide. It focuses especially on the links between the environment, labour rights, and human rights in the context of globalisation.

Looking 30 years into the future, FAO estimates that feeding the world's population will require 60% more food. Most of that increase will have to come from intensified agriculture, supported by irrigation. But water is already scarce in many countries, and competition for water from industrial and domestic users continues to grow. So where will we find the water to grow the crops that feed the world?

This report advocates a rights-based approach to land through advocacy and representation of the poor in land management, and considers how land policies can contribute to poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Although the impact of climate change on the UK and Europe may increase the frequency of severe weather conditions, it is in fact poor communities in the developing world who will be the worst affected by rises in frequency and ferocity of storms, floods and droughts says Tearfund policy officer Sarah La Trobe.

At the opening of an Africa-wide meeting on landmines, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) called on African leaders to ensure full and rapid implementation of the 1997 agreement prohibiting antipersonnel mines.

The Basel Action Network, Greenpeace International, Toxics Link of India and a coalition of Trade Unions have discovered that the Congress and the Bush Administration have reversed a moratorium against toxic waste ship dumping.

The Landless Peoples Movement and Urban Evicted People of Kwa-Zulu Natal have united to fight landlessness and evictions. On the 12th of December 2002, hundreds of members of both organisations will converge on the Durban City Hall for a protest.

An animal conservationist with experience in both government and nonprofit sectors has been selected to fill the post of Director for the Kenya Wildlife Service vacated by retirement. Michael Wamithi worked for 14 years in the Service, before he took his present position as East Africa regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

The leaders of three southern African countries are due to sign a treaty on Monday that will bring into existence the world's largest game park. Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe are due to give their assent to the 95 000-square-kilometre, cross-border park.

Zambia is facing the worst food crisis for over a decade. This year, people’s usual defence mechanisms – such as fishing or collecting wild fruit – simply won’t be enough. The people in Manchamvwa village are using simple technology and equipment to work their way out of this crisis.

Blue is normally my favorite color, but after my recent trip to Lesotho I will have to reconsider. The water I saw exiting two clothing manufacturing plants and entering nearby fields was the color of ink. A steady stream of this filth entered a space surrounded by cattle grazing, children playing, and adults interacting, turning the area into a cesspool. From this field, the refuse enters a nearby river, flowing first into South Africa and later into Namibia.

Oil was first discovered in the Niger Delta in the 1950s. Today 90% of Nigeria's export earnings come from oil. The Delta's inhabitants have benefited little from the oil boom, and their environment has been seriously polluted. Oil spills are frequent, says Ogon Patterson of Environmental Rights Action, the Nigerian branch of Friends of the Earth. "On average, we get 220 oil spills a year because most of the equipment used by the multinational oil corporations is old. These spills have led to permanent degradation of the environment and loss of biodiversity."

Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland already have more than 14 million people in need of food aid, after poor harvests at the beginning of this year. Desperate farmers, many of whom will use donated seed and fertiliser, are pinning their hopes of recovery on next year's crops, but so far rainfall figures have been worryingly low.

It is now evident that many governments in developing countries are being "persuaded" by the powers that be to privatise water. This occurs irrespective of the hard lessons learnt about privatisation carried out in other areas.

Animal welfare organisations say that many of the animals raised in South Africa's growing predator industry end up being part of "canned" hunts - hunting expeditions where wealthy tourists shoot domesticated game in small, fenced-in areas.

The South African, Mozambique and Zimbabwean presidents will launch an African "super park" adjoining the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said on Tuesday.

Economic activity can cause environmental degradation, it is clear. But just how great is the impact of international trade on the global environment? This study focuses on the extent to which the transportation of goods around the world increases greenhouse gases and leads directly to climate change.

A total eclipse of the sun was visible on December 4 from within a narrow corridor which traversed the Southern Hemisphere. The path of the Moon's shadow began in the South Atlantic and crossed southern Africa. After traversing the southern Indian Ocean, the path swept through southern Australia where the eclipse ended at sunset. A partial eclipse was seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which included most of Africa.

Protection of the natural resource base will form an important basis of our people's socio-economic development. Although due regard has been given to environmental conservation and preservation, it has not been sufficient to contain deforestation, desertification, soil degradation, wildlife resource depletion, diminishing biodiversity and accelerated pollution of water, land and air.