It is my privilege to introduce a truly jam-packed issue that highlights our continuous commitment to Earth observation, cutting-edge science, capacity building, and community engagement across South Africa. First and foremost, we are thrilled to announce that Dr. Ashley Naidoo has been appointed as the new Managing Director for NRF-SAEON, effective 1 October 2026. Bringing nearly three decades of leadership across CapeNature and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr. Naidoo is poised to lead SAEON into its next chapter as a premier national science platform.

Our team and partners continue to demonstrate science and technology in action across South Africa’s land and ocean ecosystems. In marine and oceanographic research, our scientists published a historic national assessment recording over 14,000 marine benthic species in Advances in Marine Biology, mapped continental shelf ecotypes in Marine Pollution Bulletin, and joined the six-week international CHARM expedition aboard the French vessel Marion Dufresne to reconstruct Holocene climate history. On land, a joint campaign with the UK’s STFC RAL Space deployed drone-mounted hyperspectral imaging in the Northern Drakensberg to map land degradation, while a new scientific review drawing on decades of Cathedral Peak data proved that intact, ancient mountain grasslands are far more effective for water security and long-term carbon storage than misdirected afforestation. Complementing these efforts, the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON) launched the Greater Garden Route Landscape under Dr Vusumzi Martins, applying a social-ecological approach to monitor environmental dynamics from mountains to coastlines.

We also place immense value on building vital capacity for the next generation. Our EFTEON technicians recently gained hands-on bioassessment training in Kruger National Park through the Aquatic Decision Makers Workshop, while SAEON PhD student Mkholo Maseko mastered isotope-enabled hydrological models in South Africa and Austria to significantly improve regional groundwater recharge estimates.

Finally, our science engagement efforts have had a busy few months. To help local livestock owners prepare for climate extremes, we co-hosted a workshop with SANParks in Welverdiend village on managing herd health during El Niño-driven droughts. Our public outreach achieved national recognition when the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) and SAEON science engagement team received  Certificate of Excellent Exhibition from the DSTI for their interactive displays. Furthermore, we actively inspired future environmental stewards through youth camps and competitions—including Grade 9 and 11 science camps in Hluhluwe, the Arid Lands Node’s Biodiversity Day Competition in Kimberley, and the “Why do Oceans Matter to Inland Communities” event at Nirox Sculpture Park, which connected inland water systems to the Blue Economy through river walks, workshops, and art.

Thank you to our researchers, staff, students, and collaborators for making these remarkable achievements possible. We hope you enjoy reading through these inspirational updates.