The Kalahari Bushmen have regained legal access to the water on their ancestral land, following a ruling by the Botswana's Court of Appeal. The bushmen filed an appeal against a judgement in 2010 that stopped their access to the natural water supply in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. - Human rights group Survival International outlined four key decisions that were announced last Thursday by the Appeal Court judges. Firstly, the bushmen now have access to their old borehole, while secondly, also having the right to sink new boreholes. Thirdly, the court ruled that the government’s treatment of the bushmen has been ‘degrading’ and finally, all the costs for the bu…

The Kalahari Bushmen remain 'determined' to win a legal battle over water supply, according to human rights group Survival International. This week, Botswana's Court of Appeal will begin a hearing to decide whether the bushmen living on their ancestral lands in the Kalahari have the right to the water in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. - A previous court victory allowed the bushmen access to the water supply, but they are now having to appeal against a ruling made in 2010. The High Court ruling “denied their right to access a well in the reserve they had used for decades,” Survival said. The lack of local access to water means bushmen are having to walk to…

Rhino poaching figures for South Africa hit an all time high in 2010, the global environmental campaigner WWF announced today. - National park officials have reported that a total of 333 rhinos were killed last year, marking the country’s highest level of rhino kills ever. The figures nearly tripled on 2009, during which 122 rhinos were killed. So far, five rhinos have been poached within the first two weeks of 2011. Up to 21,000 rhinos live in South Africa, which is more than any other country in the world. A rising interest in rhinos’ horns from Asia is the main reason for the rising number of poaches. The rhino horn is prized as an ingredient in traditional Asian medicines…