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20 March 2025 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Andre Damons
Dr Willem Daffue
Dr Willem Daffue, veterinarian, adventurer, explorer, and conservationist, delivered the first plenary keynote address on the first day of the Southern African Mountain Conference (SAMC2025).

Africa’s mountains are being destroyed – not by global warming, but by small-scale farming caused by overpopulation on the continent.

This is according to Dr Willem Daffue, veterinarian, adventurer, explorer, and conservationist who delivered the first plenary keynote address on the first day of the Southern African Mountain Conference (SAMC2025). The conference, which follows a highly successful first conference in 2022, is currently taking place at the Champagne Sports Resort. It ends on 20 March 2025.

Comparing photos that he took 40 years ago in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with more recent photos, Dr Daffue painted a dire picture of the future of Africa’s mountains and the unique animals found there.

Overpopulation

Dr Daffue works for the Himalayan Wildlife Project, tracks bears in the Karakoram Mountains, documents and photographs endangered species on a global level – such as the Javan rhino and Sumatran rhino. He is also involved in the Giraffe Project of the University of the Free State (UFS).

“Global warming has not yet affected Africa’s mountains. The rainfall in these areas actually increased. So has the population. Humans are destroying the mountains. The small-scale farmers have caused the most destruction. The reason for this is overpopulation.”

“Overpopulation is forcing people to invade national parks where they start farming for survival. These people are poor, uneducated, and is dependent on aid. All the animals in these areas are critically endangered.”

In his presentation, Dr Daffue talked about the Erta Ale, an active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia, the Simien Mountains in northern Ethiopia, as well as the Bale Mountains in the highlands of Ethiopia – with unique animals exclusive to the areas, including the wild ass, baboons, beisa oryx, Soemmerring's gazelle, Walia ibex, the golden jackal, and the Simien wolf.

Endangered animals

“Almost all the animals found in Ethiopia are endangered. It is the total destruction of nature. Only 4% of all mammals are still wild animals. 96% off all mammals on earth are humans and domesticated animals, and 70% of all birds on earth are chickens.”

“So, we are going to lose it. We are already past a point where we could save some of the animals and nature; it is an emergency but if we wake up now, we might still have a few things to save,” said Dr Daffue.

The answer is to curb the population growth, to educate the people, and to lift them out of poverty. Which is extremely difficult to do.

According to Dr Daffue, a conference such as the SAMC is extremely important, as it brings together different role players, including academics, researchers, communities, and policy makers. It helps in making plans, sharing knowledge, and getting policies out to people, the decision makers.

The conference

The Southern African Mountain Conference – conceptualised by the UFS Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), the African Mountain Research Foundation (AMRF), and Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS) as a joint initiative between Eurac Research and the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security – is unique, as it seeks to integrate the science, policy, and practitioner sectors for sustainable interventions in Southern African mountains.

Southern African mountains comprise those situated south of the Congo Rainforest and Lake Rukwa and include the mountainous islands of the western Indian Ocean. Thus, SAMC2025 is targeting Angola, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (southern mountains), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, La Réunion, South Africa, southern Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The SAMC series is implemented by The Peaks Foundation (a non-profit company). SAMC2025 is held under the patronage of UNESCO.

News Archive

UFS Faculty of Health Sciences opens student residence in Trompsburg
2017-07-06

Description: Trompsburg read more Tags: Trompsburg read more

Official unveiling of the memorial plaque by
Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences,
and Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor
of the University of the Free State.
Photo: Charl Devenish

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Health Sciences has, as part of its commitment to student and community development, established a student residence in the town of Trompsburg in the Kopanong Local Municipality. The faculty officially opened the Rural Community Initiative and student residence in June 2017. The newly developed student residence has 10 apartments which could each accommodate six individuals.  A housemaster resides on the premises and acts as manager of the facility.  All areas of the residence are Wi-Fi covered and it has a 24-hour security service.

Importance of the residence
The goal of the Kopanang le fodise – Unite to heal programme is to develop a community-centred collaborative framework for sustainable, holistic healthcare and social development which is incorporated in the curricula of the faculty. During 2016, a total of 324 fourth-year students have each spent at least a week in primary healthcare facilities on a Community Based Education and Inter-Professional Education platform in Trompsburg and Springfontein in the Kopanong Municipality.

“This programme was commissioned to fulfil a specific goal. We are connecting our students with the community. The support of everyone coming together caused this to move from being just a spark, to a blaze. This is all our project,” said Dr René Botha, coordinator for Community-based Education and Rural Health in the faculty.

Community outreach a priority
“This is an innovative project that has been able to bring health and health-related issues to the community. One of the UFS’ three focus areas is community engagement. This project is primarily focused on serving the community, but also on the academic element, which is student development,” said Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

Prof Petersen commended the project on being the first of its kind in the South African Health Sciences sector. The platform will also be used for research purposes that will enrich the sector. Prof Petersen challenged the Kopanong community to give their input by answering two questions: What is the UFS good at? What is the UFS good for?

Reaching for the stars
“I am a dreamer and I have to reach, and if I reach, I reach for the stars. Today we are very lucky, because we have grabbed that star,” said Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences.

Prof Van Zyl reminded the audience that they possess the power to change challenges into stars by approaching them with careful thought, planning, and motivation. Prof Van Zyl concluded by stating that the rural community initiative is for the community, and that the faculty is just the facilitators.

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