Oxpeckers

Africa’s first investigative environmental journalism unit

Combining traditional investigative reporting with data analysis and geo-mapping to expose eco-offences and track organised criminal syndicates in southern Africa

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LATEST INVESTIGATIONS

New mining threat at Mapungubwe heritage site
A rush of coal prospecting applications raises new fears about mining around Mapungubwe National Park, a world heritage site of cultural and environmental importance
Oxpeckers Reporters
27 Feb, 2020

Nigeria steps up to help pangolins
Research, contacts and networks from our journalistic investigations in the hub of Africa's illegal pangolin trade contributed to Nigeria hosting World Pangolin Day
Oxpeckers Reporters
05 Mar, 2020

Nigeria steps up to help pangolins
Research, contacts and networks from our journalistic investigations in the hub of Africa's illegal pangolin trade contributed to Nigeria hosting World Pangolin Day
Oxpeckers Reporters
05 Mar, 2020

New mining threat at Mapungubwe heritage site
A rush of coal prospecting applications raises new fears about mining around Mapungubwe National Park, a world heritage site of cultural and environmental importance
Oxpeckers Reporters
27 Feb, 2020

The human face of tragic Wuhan

Oxpeckers associate Chen Chen tells her story of Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis...
20 Feb, 2020
Inside the global conservation organisation infiltrated by trophy hunters

Indepth investigation shows trophy hunters and luxury fashion brands working to influence the IUCN, the world’s leading authority on endangered species conservation...
14 Feb, 2020
Conservation capture

Heated dispute erupts over SA’s biggest land settlement at MalaMala game reserve. What does it mean for community ecotourism around Kruger? See our multimedia investigation...
21 Jan, 2020
Tanzania’s U-turn on donkey hides boosts cross-border trafficking

Lifting of a ban on donkey abattoirs has stimulated a regional animal welfare and security crisis in East Africa. Oscar Nkala investigates...
12 Dec, 2019
Water win: ConCourt throws out Mabola appeal

‘Right now, they’re not permitted to put a shovel in the ground – and we’re aiming to keep it that way,’ say victorious opponents of Atha-Africa’s mining plans...
22 Nov, 2019
Strange (non)case of pangolin killings in Mozambique

An apparently open-and-shut case of pangolin poaching and torture hit a brick wall when it got to court. Ed Stoddard investigates...
14 Oct, 2019
The fight to bring a deadly illegal industry to justice

Modern investigative techniques used to solve human crimes are now helping to catch wildlife poachers, smugglers and traffickers. Léa Surugue investigates...
25 Sep, 2019
Elephant carcasses pile up amid conservation tensions in Niassa

Rangers on the ground say a tug of war among decision makers is exposing Mozambique’s largest national reserve to poachers and ivory traffickers. Estacio Valoi investigates...
12 Sep, 2019
Inside the temple of trade

Thousands of euros change hands at reptile trade fairs, but it's hard to tell if the deals are legal or not. Rudi Bressa investigates...
02 Aug, 2019
Tech solutions for rhino trade

Roxanne Joseph investigates how the online illegal trade of rhino horn works, and how innovative technology is being used to disrupt the market ...
01 Aug, 2019
How we (almost) became reptile smugglers

Cyberspace provides an anonymous, versatile marketplace for illegal wildlife trade. Rudi Bressa investigates how easy it is to set up illicit deals from Italy...
30 Jul, 2019
Curbing consumption of pangolins

Use of pangolins for bushmeat and African traditional medicine is complicated by the growing, unsustainable demand for scales from Asia. Alexis Kriel investigates...
05 Jul, 2019
Non-compliance in water use: who takes the blame?

New report exposes ‘gross violations’ of water permit regulations by eight coal mines in Mpumalanga. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
03 Jul, 2019
How Chinese Flying Money ‘finances’ illegal wildlife trade

Feiqian is the single biggest obstacle in investigating organised wildlife trafficking and related crimes, a year-long investigation by John Grobler established...
28 Jun, 2019
Europe’s eggheads drive the demise of ‘king of parrots’

In a sophisticated laundering scheme, traffickers fly the eggs to Europe, incubate them and pass off the live birds as captive-bred. Denise Hruby investigates...
10 Jun, 2019
Preserving pangolins in South Asia

Pangolin populations across South Asia are endangered by a huge trade in animal parts supplying the appetite for Chinese traditional medicine...
10 Jun, 2019
On the trail of Mali’s dangerous donkey traffickers

Mali restricted the sale and slaughter of donkeys for skins in 2016, so syndicates have turned to smuggling stolen animals to Ghana. Oscar Nkala investigates...
28 May, 2019
Sweeping water permit violations at mines across SA

New data reveals a radical increase in the number of mines flouting water regulations. Mark Olalde & Andiswa Matikinca investigate...
17 May, 2019
Clipping the wings of Italy’s bird poachers

More than five million birds are hunted illegally in Italy every year – by far the most in Europe. Matteo Civillini investigates efforts to crack down on offenders...
15 May, 2019
Africa’s pangolins caught in ‘the perfect storm’

Recent seizures of huge amounts of scales have turned Nigeria into Africa’s key illegal pangolin exporting country. Alexis Kriel investigates what is driving the trade...
06 May, 2019
Mining opponents operate in ‘environment of fear’

'We know our lives are in danger': Attacks on anti-mining activists and environmental defenders documented in a new report. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
16 Apr, 2019
Millions of UN dollars fail to reach villages fighting to survive in Mozambique

Estácio Valoi exposes how the failure of UNDP funding intended to combat environmental destruction left Mozambican communities to battle cyclones, floods and drought alone...
29 Mar, 2019