From our editor
Dear reader ,
This year is speeding by , we are now in July , and for the GSSA that means it ’ s Congress time . The programme looks great for Congress 58 and I wish everyone attending and showcasing their research a fantastic week full of stimulating presentations , discussion and new ideas .
For this issue we were lucky enough to have several article contributions from our members . The two feature articles both look at interesting after-effects of fire in mesic grasslands . Craig Morris ’ s article features novel findings of root diazotrophs fixing N in grasslands after burns , and Robyn Nicolay ’ s article gives a detailed view into how fire management , coupled with grazing affects soil carbon status , soil respiration and grassland digestibility . We also have Sive Tokowayo ’ s overview on Euryops floribundus encroachment in the Eastern Cape Rangelands .
Recently there have been big steps taken to safeguard our biodiversity , with the recent launch of South Africa ’ s own Biodiversity Banks , and a Cabinet approval of the White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable use of South Africa ’ s Biodiversity .
At the same time , there is still a lot of work to be done and challenges to meeting conservation targets . Julia Evan ’ s writes about the need for more funding for conservation work and Charl Deacon ’ s recent paper looks at the impact of the landscape conversion on butterflies .
Some other snapshots of the issue are South African scientist , Prof . Debra Roberts , is in the running to chair the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( the scientific authority on climate change ), and new palaeoecological evidence shows that C4 grasses occurred in African grasslands much earlier than previously thought with implications on the current hypothesis of hominoid emergence .
We also have a Grass of the Month feature again this issue , to go along with the Tree and Karoo plant of the month . Thank you to Louise Bestbier , Marnus Smit , and Rudi Swart for putting these together .
Once again , thank you to all our Grassroots readers . Our inbox is always open for any news , queries , contributions , and feedback . I trust everyone will have an excellent congress and keep warm this winter .
Till next time ,
Lisa
Editorial Committee
Editor Lisa Matthews
Sub-Editor Marnus Smit
Layout and Design J . C . Aucamp
Contact us If you have any feedback , comments , or suggestions , feel free to contact us at : info @ grassland . org . za
@ GrasslandSocietyofSouthernAfrica
@ GrasslandSocSA
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Despite the care and attention that we devote to the structure of this newsletter and the information it contains , the Grassroots Editorial Team cannot guarantee the completeness and accuracy of the data . The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial team .
Grassroots Vol 23 No 2 July 2023 02