indexpage

New global study to dominate thinking about herbivores and plant biodiversity in grasslands and savannas

A study recently published in Nature Ecology & Evolution is offering compelling evidence which explains how and why herbivores impact plant biodiversity.

Project TREE takes root

A collaboration between SAEON's Ndlovu Node and the University of California seeks to understand how anthropogenically induced change in savanna structure influences the relationships among plant, herbivore and predator trophic levels.

Is the drought over when most of the dams are almost full?

The 2014-2018 drought has confirmed that publicly engaged scientists working with well-supported research infrastructure can make valuable, real-world contributions to the public debate and to policy.

The murky waters of the lower Nuwejaars River, Western Cape: A dairy farm case study

SAEON Honours student Bongiwe Seleka investigated the influence of a dairy farm on the water quality of the Nuwejaars River... and uncovered the remarkable ability of this system to purify and restore itself downstream of the dairy.

Wooing wetlanders with Northern Cape pans

The theme for this year's National Wetlands Indaba, 'Drylands and Wetlands: connecting and managing heterogeneity across landscapes', was selected to showcase the pans of the Northern Cape. These pans are often neglected in research and in development policies.

What can a TV interview, charades, an animated cartoon, a mime and a play reveal about SAEON and its science?

Tim O'Connor, SAEON's Observation Science Specialist, reflects on a not-so-ordinary SAEON science meeting.

Fun in the sun

SAEON staff may seem to have a lot of fun, but our fun in the sun is not for everyone, says SAEON MD Johan Pauw. SAEON staff cope with harsh and potentially dangerous conditions to satisfy their passion for understanding ecosystems.

Surfing for science

Connected to surfboards, Smartfin captures data and stores it in a chip inside the fin. It connects surfers and their communities to larger issues affecting ocean health.

The benefit of using adaptive, hypothesis-based sampling protocols to investigate larval fish dynamics

Understanding larval dispersal and connectivity can have applications for both conservation and resource management and can be vital for fisheries to remain sustainable.

DBCP-34 - an international collaboration on surface ocean observations

Standards and Best Practices featured prominently on this year's agenda. These are pivotal to ensuring data is collected from the same high-quality platforms to the same high-quality standards to make data compilation and sharing a seamless enterprise globally. 

ESASTAP workshop - inspiring greater collaboration between oceanographers

In October, oceanographers from all over Europe and South Africa met in Cape Town to discuss the current status and key requirements for numerical models of the Greater Agulhas Current.

Joining forces to improve our knowledge of the South Atlantic

The aim of the Belem All-Atlantic Research Forum in Salvador, Brazil was to foster links among different organisations working across the Atlantic.

Tagging West Coast rock lobster in Elandsbaai

The collection of this data is invaluable for monitoring the species and contributing towards informing management of the status of the resource, hopefully enabling a sustainable future for the West Coast rock lobster fishery.

Fantastic Fieldwork Fridays

The SAEON Egagasini Node's Fieldwork Fridays initiative has become a valuable opportunity to put marine science into practice.

Reflecting on a successful capacity building opportunity

SAEON intern Jordan Van Stavel reports back on a Research Cruise Planning and Management course she attended in Belgium.

Announcing the winners of the SAEON Special Awards

This year three particularly intriguing projects caught the eye of the SAEON Special Awards judges at the International Science Fair.

SAEON in the media

SAEON's people and projects received coverage in international and local print, broadcast and online media.

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