NEWS
Crucial Milestone for Ecosystem Research in South Africa
SAEON
Reprinted From : http :// bit . ly / 3c4S2AF
Extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders has led to the selection of six ecosystem research sites located across the country for the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network ( EFTEON ), a large research infrastructure that is being developed under the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap ( SARIR ) programme of the Department of Science and Innovation . EFTEON is hosted by the South African Environment Observation Network ( SAEON ), a national facility of the National Research Foundation ( NRF ). a
Each of the six selected ecosystem research sites represents a large landscape in one of the major biomes in South Africa and includes areas representing human-transformed ecosystems such as urban areas and agricultural systems . Research programmes performed within the designated EFT- EON landscapes will broadly cover the status and observed dynamics of the carbon and water cycles ; climate and air quality ; ecosystem condition and productivity ; biodiversity ; and water quality and supply .
“ Despite the distressing impact of Covid-19 on normal business processes , a thorough step-wise selection process was followed to identify the most appropriate EFTEON landscapes ,” says Dr Chris Moseki , Chair of the EFTEON Advisory Panel . b
An open call for the nomination of potential landscapes was extended nationally to initiate the process . A subcommittee evaluated the 57 nominations received and developed a shortlist of nominations that , in some instances where geographic overlapping was evident , proposed collaboration between the affected parties .
A total of 19 regional virtual workshops involving nearly 500 participants were held with the teams of shortlisted proponents to clarify EFTEON ’ s expectations . This resulted in 19 excellent landscape proposals and a tough competition that took two days for the subcommittee to
Figure 1 ( a and b ): Two of the six selected ecosystem research sites .
33 Grassroots Vol 21 No 1 March 2021