Page 57 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

SCIENCE

sea opportunity. The area is undergoing rapid urbanisation and
agricultural intensification. Strong links have been developed
to a number of satellite sites, extending the footprint of the
infrastructure into the surrounding biomes.
International research
“A group of researchers will be based on the George Campus partnership
and a flux tower that will be installed here that will measure the
amount of gas such as water vapour, carbon dioxide and other Prof Fritz has been instrumental in putting
gases,” Prof Fritz explains. Flux towers collect data on carbon together the IRL-REHABS partnership. Launched
dioxide exchange rates between the earth and atmosphere and in December 2019 this is a consortium of leading
are used in microclimate analysis. This data will be complemented research institutions: the French National Centre
with automated measuring sites across the landscape for long- for Scientific Research (CNRS) – the largest state
term monitoring of a range of aspects, including climate variables, research institute in France, with 26 000 staff
water quality and soil parameters. This will give us insight into members and 14 000 researchers in 10 institutes
climate change effects on basic ecosystem processes, and will be – Nelson Mandela University SRU and the Natural
correlated with other long-term surveys on biodiversity change Resource Management Cluster, and the University
and human practices. of Lyon 1 (UCBL).
The IRL-REHABS’ focus is to produce original
South Africa’s investment in EFTEON is a major advancement research on ecological and socio-political
towards improving our national capacity to understand critical processes underlying the future of ecosystems
ecological processes and how they support and respond to the and human well-being in the Anthropocene (the
societies depending on them,” says Dr Molapo Qhobela, Chief current geological period during which there is
Executive Officer of the NRF.
significant human impact on the Earth’s geology
and ecosystems, including climate change).
EFTEON manager, Dr Gregor Feig says: “The long-term impact of
EFTEON will be through sophisticated people-nature observations Funding of R13-million over five years is provided by
and experimentation to clarify the complex relationships between the three partner institutions, and is predominantly
societies and ecosystems in diverse environments under climate for PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows, but
change as a pervasive driver of change.” some master’s students are considered. Two new
senior French scientists from CNRS will join the
The other five selected EFTEON Landscapes are: IRL-REHABS on the George campus in December
this year.
• Greater Cape Town (Western Cape): This Landscape links the
Atlantic Ocean to the peaks of the Boland Mountains Strategic
Water Source Area, covering steep climate gradients and
a hyperdiverse mix of lowland (strandveld and renosterveld)
and upland (mountain fynbos) major vegetation formations • Maputaland (Northern KwaZulu-Natal): This is the most tropical
of the Fynbos Biome, interspersed with pockets of Southern of the selected landscapes and is an important region for
Afrotemperate Forest. observing changes in the impact of tropical meteorological
• KIMTRI (Kimberley area, Northern Cape and Western Free State): systems.
This is the most arid of the landscapes selected and is located • Lowveld (Mpumalanga): The landscape comprises conservation
in the transition zone between the Nama Karoo, Arid Savanna lands use (Kruger National Park and private conservation areas)
and Grassland Biomes. that are well studied, with adjacent lands under traditional
• Northern Maluti-Drakensberg (Cathedral Peak and surrounds, authority management and with villages that are well studied
KwaZulu-Natal): This landscape lies in the northern sections of the through the SAPRIN Agincourt Research infrastructure. The
Maluti-Drakensberg escarpment in the headwaters of the Tugela landscape is bisected by a number of rivers that pass through
River where complex socio-ecological issues are emerging. the different land use systems.

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