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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

Early diagnosis of hearing loss is important
2017-09-11

  Description: Magteld small Tags: birth defects, hearing loss, Dr Magteld Smith, Department of Otorhinolaryngology

Dr Magteld Smith, lecturer in the
Department of Otorhinolaryngology
at the University of the Free State (UFS)
Photo: Supplied


One of the most common, misunderstood and neglected birth defects in developing countries is hearing loss, which can most severely impair and have a dramatic impact of the quality of life the of the person with hearing loss. 

This is according to Dr Magteld Smith, lecturer in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of the Free State (UFS). 

“Hearing loss refers to all the different types and levels of hearing loss, from slight to profound hearing loss,” she said. 

Derived from a number of retrospective studies in South Africa, it was found 17 people a day are born with hearing loss. More than 95% of those children are born to hearing parents. This estimate excludes children and adults who lost their hearing after birth. 

According to Dr Smith, hearing loss strikes at the very essence of being human, because it hinders communication with others. To enable people to communicate with those with hearing loss, the university’s Department of South African Sign Language teaches students sign language. This year, the department enrolled 230 students. A number of these students are from the Faculty of Education. These students could from 2017 for the first time choose sign language as a subject.

“Studies have shown that important language skills are learned before the age of three because hearing and learning language are closely tied together. Brain development of the auditory pathways and language cortex is occurring in young children as they respond to auditory and visual language. In families that are part of deaf culture, these parents automatically sign from day one, so the baby is learning visual (sign) language, and the appropriate brain development is occurring.

Beskrywing: Doof readmore Sleutelwoorde: geboorte-afwykings, gehoorverlies, dr Magteld Smith, Departement Otorinolaringologie

About 230 students are enrolled for the subject, South African 
Sign Language, at the UFS. As an assignment some of the students 
were asked to design posters to create deaf awareness among 
others on campus. From the left are: Poleliso Mpahane, 
Masajin Koalepe, Ntshitsa Mosase, and Zoleka Ncamane. 
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

“However, if a child has an undiagnosed hearing loss and the parents are unaware, the child will not receive the needed language stimulation — and the hoped-for development won’t take place. It is critical to understand that children with hearing loss have their own talents, different levels of intelligence, socioeconomic circumstances and different abilities, just like hearing children. Therefore, one size does not fit all,” Dr Smith said. 

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