Towards Sustainability: Tracking Carbon Footprint Trends at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54327/set2025/v5.i1.206Keywords:
Climate change, sustainability, GHG protocol, emission sources, Paris agreementsAbstract
Carbon footprint assessment is important to combat global warming and promote sustainability. Globally, organizations committed to biodiversity conservation are essential for maintaining ecosystems and the people who inhabit them. Nonetheless, these organizations produce a carbon footprint due to their operating operations. Hence, this study aimed to assess the specific carbon footprint of the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) to improve its understanding of its environmental implications and encourage sustainable behaviors within its particular missions. Using the greenhouse gas protocol corporate accounting and reporting standard as a guide, the study methodology examines greenhouse gas emissions from direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scopes 2 and 3) sources related to Ezemvelo wildlife activities over five years (2014/2015--2018/2019). The results show that 34,016.62 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) are emitted on average each year. The majority of these emissions are caused by Scope 2 electricity consumption, which accounts for 23,475.82 tCO2e, and Scope 1 emissions, which account for 7,826.20 tCO2e. Furthermore, there was a noticeable difference in emissions between the reserves, with the Imfolozi Game Reserve having the highest emissions. The findings of this study direct EKZNW toward ecologically conscious behaviors by acting as a catalyst for educated decision-making. The insight gained paves the way for proactive steps to lower carbon emissions, coordinating conservation efforts with more general goals of sustainability and climate resilience.
Downloads

Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kgaphudi Wendy Madiope, Jacob Adedayo Adedeji, Sebataolo Rahlao

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website, social networking sites, etc).