An article published in Eyewitness News on April 20, National Research Foundation joins efforts to fight COVID-19, mentions a number of NRF efforts geared towards fighting COVID-19. One of the projects mentioned by the NRF’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Molapo Qhobela, is SAEON’s work on the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas, which provides baseline data for assessing COVID-19 vulnerabilities of South African communities.

Africa: Planting Trees Will Not Solve the Climate Crisis, an article published in AllAfrica.com on March 24, cites Professor William Bond, one of the country’s best-known ecologists and former chief scientist of SAEON, and his colleagues on the topic of global tree-planting campaigns to reduce atmospheric carbon. Bond and his colleagues argue that several mass tree planting campaigns are based on “wrong assumptions” and simply distract global attention from the tougher business of decarbonising the world at source.

An article by Professor James Blignaut, one of SAEON’s honorary research associates, was published in Daily Maverick on March 13. In the article titled Fixing the pain of apartheid and healing South Africa is everyone’s business, Prof Blignaut suggests nine guidelines for managers and encourages them to “use the opportunity to nurture a narrative of healing based on the principles of justice and management”.  

Arid Lands Node

Landbouweekblad of March 27 published an article titled Veldherstel kan ook mense heel (Field restoration can also heal people) based on an interview with SAEON research associates Professors Sue Milton and Richard Dean. Sue and Richard, the owners of Renu-Karoo Veld restoration, a field restoration initiative at Prince Albert in the Western Cape, are investigating the potential of field restoration as a cure for people in collaboration with a local counsellor, Héléne Smit.

An article titled We’re Serving Ants with Everything, written by SAEON research associate Richard Dean, was published in the April 2020 edition of Prince Albert Friend.

SAEON student Callum Clarke’s article, 5 Easy Ways You Can Save Money and the Planet too, was published in the April 2020 edition of Prince Albert Friend.

Egagasini Node

An article titled Inaugural oceanography symposium by and for students was published in the University of Cape Town’s Online newsletter on March 5. The symposium, hosted by postgraduates from the university’s Department of Oceanography, provided a platform for students to showcase their research to their peers, locating their work in global conversations about climate, biodiversity, food production and environmental resource management. Participants and attendees were treated to a plenary talk by Professor Juliet Hermes, manager of SAEON’s Egagasini Node. SAEON was one of the sponsors of the symposium.