Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism is a South African non-profit newsroom founded in 2013 by veteran editor Fiona Macleod. The unit is recognized as Africa’s first investigative team dedicated to environmental issues. It pairs field reporting with data analysis and geo-mapping to expose eco‑offences, from wildlife trafficking to pollution, and to track the criminal networks behind them.
The organization builds original datasets and makes them publicly accessible through geojournalism tools that drive reporting and accountability. #WildEye maps seizures, arrests, court cases and convictions linked to environmental crimes in Africa, Asia and Europe, while the Rhino Court Cases tracker follows prosecutions across Southern Africa. #MineAlert tracks mining applications and licences across Africa and surfaces related documents for communities and watchdogs. #PowerTracker maps renewable energy projects and coal plant decommissioning to scrutinize the energy transition.
Oxpeckers publishes cross-border investigations with regional partners and trains reporters through fellowships, manuals and workshops. Its work has been recognised with multiple honors, including SAB Environmental Media Awards in 2014 and 2017, an Asian Environmental Journalism Award in 2019, and selection as a finalist for South Africa’s Taco Kuiper Award. Backing from networks such as Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and collaborations with Code for Africa and others have helped it scale tools and data sharing. Through this blend of investigative reporting and open data, Oxpeckers has become a reference point for evidence‑based environmental journalism across the continent.