Insects have to be saved by humans

For humanity’s sake, people need to change their attitude towards insects. They are essen - tial for our wellbeing. They pol - linate a third of our crops and help promote a healthy living soil.

We must protect them better and learn from ideas that have already been developed in South Africa and elsewhere to conserve them. This according to Stellen bosch University insect expert Prof Michael Samways, lead author of a new review paper titled Solutions for huma - nity on how to conserve Insects in the scientific journal Biological Conservation.

“We will never be able to con - serve every insect popula tion or even every species. That said, real, practical possibilities exist from across the world on how we can avoid further insect population loss and species extinction,” says Prof Samways, one of the founding fathers of the discipline of insect con servation and distinguished pro - fessor at Stellenbosch Univer sity and author of a new book, Insect Conservation: a Global Synth esis.

Improved regulation and pre - vention of environmental risks, and greater recognition of protected areas alongside agroecology are also key.

“Protected areas can be exten - ded outside proclaimed borders using large-scale ecological networks of inter connected

conservation corri dors, which has so far been highly effective for insect con servation in South Africa,” says Prof Samways. Transforming global agricultural and forestry practices into more expansive, sustainable ones, in line with species co-existence, and mitigating climate change are also part of the solution.

“Above all, communicating with, and engaging civil society and

q Using insect icons such as dragonflies and bees can help fuel the public’s awareness about the important role that insects play in the livelihood of people. Photo: John Simaika policy makers, is essential for the future and mutual wellbeing of both people and insects,” he notes.

“While small groups of people can initiate insect conservation locally, collective consciousness and a globally co-ordinated effort for species inventorying, monitoring and conservation is required for large-scale reco - very” says Prof Samways.

He says that with the possible ex ception of concern over the loss of bees and pollination services, people do not value the role that insects play in nature and their usefulness sufficiantly.

”Luckily, civil society is increa - singly becoming aware of the precipitous decline in insects and its severe consequences for planetary survival,” says Prof Samways.

”This is where insect icons such as butterflies, dragonflies and bees, popular media, natural history clubs, education, and citizen scientist activities can all play a major role,” he adds.

Prof Samways believes such efforts are especially important in urban and peri-urban en - vironments, where there is generally the greatest discon - nect with nature yet the greatest concen trations of people.

”In rural settings, there is also great opportunity for better education, especially of the young and impressionable, who often actually educate the parents in matters of ‘our future’ and ‘small lives matter’,” he notes.

Written by Engela Duvenage, for the Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

ovk e thusa dihwai tse ntseng di hola

Assisi Farm Fort Savage ke polasi e welang mmasepaleng wa Mantsopa, seterekeng sa Lady brand porofensing ya Freisetata. Ke polasi e tsamaisong ya kereke ya Roma, e ileng ya tuma ka sepetlele sa ho pepisa, esita le dihlahiswa tsa temo tsa boleng bo hodimo-dimo: tse kang lebese le dihlahiswa tsa lebese. e bile tshusumetso e kgolo bakeng sa ho matlafatsa polasi.

Valentina o re tlhahiso ya lebese e ile ya qepha haholo. Hona ebile ka lebaka la komello le kgaello e kgolo ya thekiso ya lebese. Ha a se a tsielehile hore na a ka etsa jwang, a hopola hore o na le diabo le ba OVK. Valentina o

Mengwaha e ntse e feta maemo a ile a theoha. Le ha ho le jwalo, Masisetere a ile a tlama dikobo thekeng ho leka ho nyolla Assisi, ho e busetsa maemong a yona a pele. Tlasa boetapeleng bo hlwahlwa ba Sister Valentina, OVK e ile ya kenya letsoho ka mahlale, boeletsi le tataiso e kgolo e ileng ya hlahisa diphetoho. O re mohlanka wa OVK, ditabeng tsa dithupelo, Gedas Olivier, o ile a mo eletsa hore a reke diabo kahara OVK. Kajeno, mona Assisi ho na le phetoho e kgolo, ka lebaka la boeletsi ba OVK. Sister Valentina o boetse a bontsha hore tshebedisanommoho le baahelani le yona

OVK NUUS | Maart 2020 re o ile a beheletsa diabo ho fumana dipeo,manyolo le tjhefu e boloyang dikokwanyana masimong .

Valentina ka keletso ya setho sa OVK ditabeng tsa thupelo, Gedas Olivier, o ile a qalella ho etsa diteko tsa mobu. O hona hoi le ha mo thusa, ho tseba mofuta wa mobu o teng polasing. A tseba le hore ka jala eng, hokae mme neng. Ha a se a qetile ka diteko tseo, a qalella ho lokisa mobu, mme a jala. Ha ntse a emetse ho kotula , Olivier, a mo bolella hore a se shebe ntho e le nngwe feela. O lokela ho lekola dintho tse ding tse ka hlahisang dintlafatso polasing. Valentina a rekisa tse ding tsa dikgomo tsa lebese ho eketsa kuno, hore a kgone ho reka furu, mme a boela a kenya poho ya Bonsmara ho fetola dikgomo tsa lebese hore ho tle ho be le tsa nama. Morero e ntse e le ho eketsa kunu ya polasing. Kajeno o na le dikgomo tse tswakatswaneng tse 50. Sister Valentina a tswelapele a kena lesakeng la dinku, a thola dikonyana tse pedi. OVK ya mo bolella hore a ka boela a eketsa kuno ya polasi ka boya le nama. Ha re bua tjena, o na le dinku tse kabang 100. O ile a kuta boya ba dinku aba a rekisa tse ding. O re o bone kuno e kgotsofatsang haholo.

OVK e boetse e mo thusitse ka ho mo tlisetsa ditsibi ditabeng tsa mafu a diphoofolo le meriana e ka sebediswang bakeng sa ho phekola le ho thibela mafu. Disebediswa tsa polasi tse kang diterekere di maemong a matle, ebile di hlokomelwa hantle ka lebaka la thuso ya OVK. Valentina o rehona ho those haholo ho fokotsa ditshenyehelo tsa polasi.

Sehleng sa tjhahi sa 2018/19,Valentina o ile a kotula poone, a kgona ho lefa OVK, a ba a a sallwa. Mothating ona o jetse poone ya diakere tse 86. Ke mo Mongodi: Tseliso Lento

fumane a le hodima terekere a phetola mobu ho jala dinawa tseo a tlo fepa ka tsona.

O re, o tshepa OVK haholo, ebile o kopa hore e etse jwalo le ho dihwai tse ding tsa bathoba batsho. O boetse a ipiletsa ho baahisani ba bang ho thusa ba dikojwana di mahetleng ka tsebo le mahlale ao ba nang le ona. Valentina o qetell ka hore dihwai di itheke morwalo, ba se tshabe diphepetso mme boitelo ebe sebetsa se ka sehlohlolong ho tsona. SEHWAI SA POPOTA RURI !!!! Mothating ona OVK e letsholong la ho rupella barui ba dinku ba batho ba batsho ba Manyatseng le mapolasi a mabapi. Dula o lebelletse……

OVK IS WORKING HARD TO ASSIST BLACK FARMERS

Assisi Farm Fort Savage, falls under Mmanstopa municipality, in Ladybrand district in the Free State. It is run by Roman Catholic church. In the past the farm had a famous midwifery hospital and high quality farming products.

As time past, the standard was lowered. However, intervention of nuns, under leadership of Sister Valetina and OVK guidance through its training wing led by Gedas Olivier as well as the support from neighbouring farmers, improved the farm a lot.