It’s one thing to read about natural disasters in the media and quite another to experience them first hand. Last weekend the Western Cape definitely lived up to its centuries-long reputation as the Cape of Storms as it was hit by one almighty storm!

This resulted in flooding in the Strand/Somerset West area and the closure of the R44, the road from Betty’s Bay to Gordon’s Bay as seen in the pic, which was closed due to parts of the road being washed away. This has necessitated going over Sir Lowry’s Pass which has added kilometers to the journey to Cape Town. Although inconvenient, this situation is not life-threatening. It does, however, bring home how vulnerable we are to vagaries of weather and other natural phenomena such as the recent Cyclone Cleopatra which has devastated parts of Sardinia. With the effects of climate change speeding up we can expect to experience more catastrophic weather extremes as the global weather machine adjusts to new boundary conditions …

One of the most insidious paradigms of our modern era is that “There’s always more where that came from” which implies that nature is there to serve us; that disposability and planned obsolescence equal profitability; that constant growth and demand are positive forces and that environmentally damaging activities are justifiable in order to drive a world economy that needs to spiral ever upwards. With this patently erroneous mindset it is easy to rationalise away the plunder of the Earth’s resources on a scale never before equalled. It is also all too easy to enable practices such as discounting over distance, whereby nations in some parts of the world expropriate resources from other parts of the world, to proliferate.

Unless it is halted, over time discounting over distance could contribute to wholesale deforestation of enormous swathes of the Earth’s surface with the resultant loss of parts of the planet’s green lungs. Overfishing would mean the emptying of the global ocean with consequent food insecurity and loss of income for millions of people, while the expropriation of water resources would mean not only water stress in some parts of the world but water wars.

In a world of increasing interdependence there should be no place for the self-centred, isolationist, island mentality that enables practices such as discounting over distance to exist, let alone increase. Because the stark reality of the 21st Century is that there is no longer more where that came from. And ecological ransacking by some nations of the world means serious declines of resources in other parts of the world which could lead to a net global deficit with all its dreadful ecological implications. Competitiveness for these last remaining resources could also spill over into deadly conflict and with the arsenal of frightening weapons at our disposal this is a possibility that we dare not entertain.

The late and great Carl Sagan said: “The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what these visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps”.

I have a vision of hope for the future. It was a photograph I once saw of a man attempting to stop the slaughter of seals in Canada. The man was kneeling awkwardly on ice shielding a pure white baby seal within the cup of his bent-over body, and as he knelt doubled over on the hard frosted ice authorities were harassing him and attempting to arrest him for interfering in the brutal business of slaughtering seals. However, what made the photograph so heartbreakingly poignant was not the selfless act of protection itself, but the unmistakable intensity with which the man was sheltering the little seal. It was obvious that every fibre of his being was intent on keeping the baby seal alive, regardless of the cost to himself. And if one man could care so much for the fate of another living creature that he was willing to sacrifice himself for its protection, then other people must feel the same way. And therein lies, I believe, the hope for our world and ourselves in this century.

The man in the photograph was a Greenpeace activist and he may well have lost his David and Goliath struggle on that freezing day, with the bably seal meeting its fate at the end of a brutal club. However, the essence of the struggle as a metaphor for the saving of the natural world is the important issue here. For although the struggle was probably unsuccessful, which as a metaphor bodes ill, the fact that there was such an intense effort by such a determined man on behalf of another species, is where I believe hope lies. Because it is only by saving the natural world that we will ultimately save ourselves and history has shown that the resolute actions of one person can have the power to rally multitudes of people until a miracle has been accomplished. My vision of hope for the future lies in the fact that I believe miracles are well within our human repertoire.

Nineteen months after she was poached at Kariega and three months after her pioneering skin grafts, Thandi the rhino recently received follow-up treatment as the skin grafts have not taken well. She does, however, seem to be doing well although she still has a long way to go to full recovery. From here the veterinary and management team at Kariega are letting Thandi find her own way …

How incredibly fortunate I am to have two men of the stature of Dr Ian Player D.M.S. and Dr Allan Heydorn believe in me and my book Miracles < of Hope: Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century, one writing a beautiful Foreword and the other providing an amazing Comment!

I first met Dr Player, who is considered one of the world’s most outstanding conservationists and environmental statesmen, on a cold, winter morning at a very upmarket hotel in Johannesburg more than a decade ago (it is reputed to be where Oprah stays when she visits the City of Gold), as he had invited me to have an early breakfast with him to discuss my book. I was incredibly touched that Dr Player took the business of reading it and referring to the bibliography so seriously and I was immensely pleased when he agreed to have his name associated with it by writing a Foreword.

Dr Allan Heydorn, who is an acclaimed marine ecologist and specialist consultant for WWF South Africa, also has a house in Betty’s Bay and I met him at a presentation about Antarctica held at a local venue. Like Dr Player, Dr Heydorn is deeply thoughtful and concerned about what is happening in the world and he, too, was very serious about critiquing my book, writing a very considered and astute Comment.

But what is so inspirational about both Dr Player and Dr Heydorn is their seniority. Both men are now in their 80s, yet they are still consulting, advising and mentoring much younger generations such as my own! What an outstanding example they both are and how lucky I am to have been the recipient of their wonderfully old-fashioned courtesy, their thoughtfulness and their exceptional diligence.

< Cover of "Miracles of Hope: Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century"[/caption]Globally things are hotting up and with the recent disruption of the American economy as the most recent indicator, there is no doubt that we are manifesting all the disruption of a culture in the throes of a great change. Globally we are witnessing the dramatic death throes of the old world order and there can be no doubt that we are a global community in transition as hypothosised in my book Miracles of Hope: Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century.

Change of this magnitude will not be accomplished without enormous dissention and anxiety which could be seen in a negative light. And, yes, the short-term effects of realigning ourselves to another reality are bound to be painful, however, underlying the negativity is a groundswell of change in human attitudes and actions that signify an enormous shift in human consciousness – and this is immensely positive. There is no doubt that we are living in extraordinary times!

In an exciting update Thandi, the poached but surviving rhino that underwent facial reconstruction surgery, is becoming the poster child for the anti-rhino poaching movement. Natural History New Zealand is negotiating to produce and air a documentary in China. Workshops have also been conducted in Hanoi by Dr William Fowlds, the vet who did Thandi’s facial reconstruction surgery, sponsored by Humane Society International and the Department of Vietnam Forestry. Here’s hoping that Thandi’s, and indeed the rhinos’ story per se, touches hearts in the regions where rhino horn is being bought and sold.

< Dawn of a new era[/caption]Life is an absolutely amazing journey! I have recently completed the toughest and most demanding, but also the most productive and creative decade of my life yet. And it's now time for a new day... Over the past ten years I have honed my craft and extended my horizons beyond what I could have imagined possible - self-publishing my book “Miracles of Hope: Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century” and then buying back the rights from a wrong publisher who had taken it on (a very painful and expensive exercise and one I don’t recommend if at all possible).

I have made newspaper history by publishing over 35 newspaper broadsheets and numerous supplements on ‘Cinderella’ issues such as food, water and energy security, hopefully helping to bring them to the forefront of concern in the Western Cape – conceptualising, marketing, researching, writing, photographing and co-ordinating these features with enormous love and devotion (who says women aren’t brilliant multi-taskers?).

My husband and I have sustainably owner-built our own home in the heart of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve (located between a mountain and the ocean with glass walls overlooking both) and although it’s not quite finished yet we’re living in it and enjoying being in such a wonderful (but challenging) place.

Now, however, it’s definitely a new day. So a different work focus. I’m excited …

This pic of a Cape Cobra by Western Cape Snake Rescue Volunteer, Shaun MacLeod, epitomises for me the incredible diversity of the magnificent planet we call home. Every species has its role to play in the checks and balances of life on Earth. Such an epic pity that we are in the midst of the 6th extinction with so many species disappearing forever!

I have just been put into a position where my work was commercialised for the sole purpose of financial gain for another party, and while I acknowledge that newspapers, magazines and their marketing people exist for the purpose of making money, I also believe that to ring true the work of sustainability reporting should be done with a degree of heart and soul. Actually to be perfectly honest, for me this is sacred work with heart and soul coming first and money considerations following. How regrettable that so many people just don’t get what sustainability is about, seeing it as no more than a great marketing opportunity and a way to make money.