SAEON in the Media

ELTOSA (Environmental Long-Term Observatories of southern Africa) is a network of southern African countries embarking on time-series environmental research and monitoring programmes delivering time-series datasets. These multi-disciplinary programmes are site-based and meant to run for five years or longer and over several decades.

The following ELTOSA paper has been published on the Internet:

ECOLOGICAL NETWORKING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: THE ELTOSA
EXPERIENCE

J.C. PAUW¹, J.R. HENSCHEL², A.A. SITOE³, J.B. CHIMPHAMBA⁴, J.K. KANYANG^A5 & S.RINGROSE⁶

1 South African Environmental Observation Network, Pretoria, South Africa
2 Gobabeb Training and Research Centre, Gobabeb, Namibia
3 Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Moçambique
4 Chancellor's College, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi
5 Department of Metereology, Lusaka, Zambia
6 Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre, Maun, Botswana

Abstract
The multi-country ELTOSA network hinges on the common observation that ecosystems and environmental issues permeate political boundaries. Within ELTOSA, countries are joining efforts to increase the effectiveness of environmental research and information, particularly of processes that cannot be understood with short-term small-scale ecological research, e.g. climate change, land degradation and desertification.

Knowledge of long-term processes and episodic events is gathered through site-based long-term monitoring and large-scale processes can be elucidated by comparing data from distributed sites. This knowledge and its dissemination will strengthen national environmental policies. The information and understanding obtained through ELTOSA will support regional environmental and natural resource management and thereby stabilise and enhance sustainable development in southern Africa. Effective environmental policies resulting in productive environments will in turn strengthen the economy of the southern African region. ELTOSA has been making substantial progress in the context of regional economic depression. It must continue to work for human capacity building and establish continuity and coordinating capacity for it to deliver on its promises.

Keywords: long-term monitoring, environmental policy, capacity building, information management.

The full document can be found on http://nrd.uniss.it/sections/aid-ccd/docu_rep4.htm