SAEON Node update

Dr Balfour, I presume …

SAEON is proud to announce that Dave Balfour, Manager of the SAEON Ndlovu Node, has recently been awarded a PhD in Botany by the University of Cape Town.

Dave is currently involved in setting up core sites to monitor the basic ecological drivers in the Lowveld system. By a strange coincidence one of these drivers, fire, formed a central part of his research for his doctoral thesis –  Acacia  demography, fire and elephants in a South African savanna.

His thesis investigates the multiple disturbances that indigenous  Acacias  are subject to, two of which are repeated exposure to fire, and injury through toppling, branch breaking or bark stripping by elephants. Issues such as the serious nature of these injuries, the consequences for  Acacia  populations, and how they differ for the various  Acacia  species are addressed in the thesis.

An important aspect is the comparative nature of the study in which the different demographic responses of eight co-occurring  Acacia  species to fire are detailed, as well as comparison of the vulnerability of the eight species to elephant-induced mortality. The results of this largely field-based work also shed light on and provide detail for some of the modelling work being done to understand the dynamics of bush encroachment – a global issue in savanna ecosystems.

The results suggest that seedling establishment is not as important as post- fire regrowth in explaining the mechanisms of encroachment. In addition, different mechanisms by which individual stems can grow through this barrage of disturbance to reach adulthood are explored in detail for one species (Acacia  karroo). This is backed up with preliminary experimentation into the way the xylem is affected by fire in stems of different diameters.

This research has undoubtedly primed Dave for the project he is currently running at the Mapungubwe National Park in Limpopo Province - establishing the response of different  Acaciaspecies to fire.

Ndlovu office building almost ready to open its doors

Work on the construction of the Ndlovu Node administration offices and laboratory at the new access gate to the Kruger National Park and the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which commenced in May, is showing good progress. The structure of the building is likely to be complete by January 2006. Thereafter the internal structures (internet, telephone, network cabling, etc.) need to be installed.

Dave Balfour, Manager of the SAEON Ndlovu Node says that they anticipate moving into the new offices in April 2006.

Liaising for research, observation and monitoring

Dave Balfour convened the first Lowveld Liaison Forum in November this year. The meeting was attended by 14 people representing environmental monitoring and geographic information system (GIS) interests in the Lowveld. The purpose of the meeting was to establish areas of common interest with respect to GIS information and data. One of the outcomes of the meeting was an undertaking by all parties involved to start a process of information and data sharing.

The Forum discussions also informed the process of deciding on the Ndlovu core site(s) for research, observation and monitoring. The first workshop will be held in December this year to design the GIS query process for evaluating the available options and determining the best possible core site(s). This entails a process of determining key aspects for the designated site such as access and land tenure (there should be guaranteed access to the site), representative vegetation, and good legacy data (data that has been collected over a historic time period).

A conservation planning specialist from SANParks, Dr Stephanie Freitag-Ronaldson, will provide important input into the query process to determine the best option for the site. This will be followed by a further workshop early in 2006 that will include contributions from representatives of the Agricultural Research Council, Kruger National Park , University of Witwatersrand and others. The number of core sites will depend on whether one site can be found that meets all the stated criteria for observation and monitoring of numerous critical variables.