NEWS
Figure 2 : One of the selected research sites .
how they support and respond to the societies depending on them ,” says Dr Molapo Qhobela , Chief Executive Officer of the NRF .
a b
He explains that the thematic focus of the EFTEON programme is on ecosystem processes , the state of the environment and the quality and quantity of ecosystem services . Social systems , including economic systems , fundamentally rely on their ecological contexts to sustain and improve human well-being .
EFTEON manager , Dr Gregor Feig , describes the design of EFTEON as a modular research infrastructure consisting of an array of ecosystem research sites and high-tech ecosystem research equipment .
“ The long-term impact of EFTEON will be through sophisticated peoplenature observations and experimentation to clarify the complex relationships between societies and ecosystems in diverse environments under climate change as a pervasive driver of change ,” says Dr Feig .
According to SAEON Managing Director , Johan Pauw , the designated EFT- EON landscapes are supported by central coordination through SAEON and data management facilities ( shared with the two other SARIR-funded Environmental Research Infrastructures , these being the Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure ( SMCRI ) and the proposed South African Polar Research Infrastructure ( SAPRI ) and general SAE- ON operations ).
Final selection of EFTEON Landscapes :
Figure 3 ( a and b ): High-tech ecosystem research equipment are being installed at the six research sites .
evaluate and rank the proposals in order of excellence .
“ The EFTEON Advisory Panel duly considered and endorsed the final report as the result of an open , just and defensible process ,” says Dr Moseki .
“ South Africa ’ s investment in EFTEON is a major advancement towards improving our national capacity to understand critical ecological processes and
• 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 of the Fynbos Biome , interspersed with pockets of Southern Afrotemperate Forest . This environmental template supports and interacts with a diverse socio-econo-cultural mix , inhabiting a tapestry of urban , agricultural and natural land use / land cover types . The landscape offers a direct link to a number of SARIR research infrastructures including the Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure ( Two Oceans Sentinel Site ), the BioGrip Cape Point Atmospheric Monitoring Site ( Global Atmospheric Watch ) and two nodes ( UCT and SUN ), and the Cape Town South African Population Research
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