Latest Arid Lands News

eNews #01 2026 NRF-SAEON in the media By Mamere Molepo, NRF-SAEON Science Engagement and Outreach Intern Issue 01 2026 Contents Sub-Saharan Africa has lost nearly a quarter of its biodiversity Modelling oil spills from ship-to-ship fuel transfers in Algoa Bay: A potential threat to the critically endangered African Penguin A New View from Above: My […]

eNews #01 2026 Findings from an Honours student’s novel research project By Wynand Calitz from the SAEON Arid Lands Node Issue 06 2025 SAPRI deploys first Slocum ocean gliders on Agulhas Bank Ocean20: Giving civil society, industry and business a voice on the issue of a global sustainable ocean Exploring the role of science diplomacy […]

eNews #06 2025 Sub-Saharan Africa has lost nearly a quarter of its biodiversity By By Dr Hayley Clements and Prof. Dave Thompson, with contributions from SAEON staff and research associates Issue 06 2025 SAPRI deploys first Slocum ocean gliders on Agulhas Bank Ocean20: Giving civil society, industry and business a voice on the issue of […]

eNews #06 2025 WaterNet Symposium: EFTEON shares insights on the impacts of different pollution sources on water resources By Nolusindiso Ndara, Faith Jumbi and Zanele Ntshidi, NRF-SAEON Issue 06 2025 SAPRI deploys first Slocum ocean gliders on Agulhas Bank Ocean20: Giving civil society, industry and business a voice on the issue of a global sustainable […]

eNews #06 2025 Exploring the role of science diplomacy in advancing shared development goals through the China–South Africa science, technology and people-to-people exchange series By Zanele Ntshidi, Arid Lands Node, NRF-SAEON Issue 06 2025 SAPRI deploys first Slocum ocean gliders on Agulhas Bank Ocean20: Giving civil society, industry and business a voice on the issue […]

eNews #05 2025 Arid Lands Node celebrates National Science Week with Ikhutseng emerging farmers, endorsing transdisciplinary approaches to agricultural science By Zanele Ntshidi, Phumudzo Ragimana and Tshililo Ramaswiela, SAEON Arid Lands Node & Arid Region Water Research Centre contents Do protected areas shield birds from drought? A closer look at Kruger National Park Small ocean […]

eNews #05 2025 Shaping future ecologists: North-West University and Arid Lands Node join forces in the Karoo By Helga van der Merwe, Nanette van Staden and Sue Milton (SAEON Research Associate, Wolwekraal Conservation and Research Organisation): NRF-SAEON Arid Lands Node contents Do protected areas shield birds from drought? A closer look at Kruger National Park […]

eNews #05 2025 Forging learning experiences through collaboration: NRF-SAEON and NRF-SAIAB contribute at the Kenya National Research Festival By Amukelani Maluleke (EFTEON), Zanele Ntshidi (NRF-SAEON) and Albert Chakona (NRF-SAIAB) contents Do protected areas shield birds from drought? A closer look at Kruger National Park Small ocean drifters with an important role: Exploring marine cladocerans at […]

eNews #05 2025 Putting South African fairy shrimp on the map By Dr Betsie Milne, Honorary Research Associate, SAEON Arid Lands Node contents Do protected areas shield birds from drought? A closer look at Kruger National Park Small ocean drifters with an important role: Exploring marine cladocerans at SAEON/SMCRI’s Sentinel Site Advancing understanding of seasonal […]

SAEON eNews #05 2025 Link to: Annual demersal survey: Exciting new discoveries and other benefits Link to: Annual demersal survey: Exciting new discoveries and other benefits Do protected areas shield birds from drought? Researchers take a closer look at South Africa’s largest national park A research team comprising experts from SAEON, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, […]

eNews #04 2025 Towards locally relevant, globally competitive environmental science By Prof Tommy Bornman, Manager: SAEON Elwandle Node & SMCRI contents Running out of heat An ecological forecasting initiative for Africa Tracking greenhouse gas fluxes in seagrasses and mudflats in South African estuaries NRF-SAEON spreads its branches within the SA Botanical community SAEON at sea: […]

eNews #04 2025 NRF-SAEON in the media By Staff Writer contents Running out of heat An ecological forecasting initiative for Africa Tracking greenhouse gas fluxes in seagrasses and mudflats in South African estuaries NRF-SAEON spreads its branches within the SA Botanical community SAEON at sea: South African scientists join One Ocean expedition Monitoring the Agulhas […]

eNews #04 2025 Introducing young minds to the scientific arena and terrestrial ecology: Arid Lands Node Grade 9 Science Camp By Phumudzo Ragimana, Zanele Ntshidi and Tshililo Ramaswiela, Arid Lands Node, NRF-SAEON contents Running out of heat An ecological forecasting initiative for Africa Tracking greenhouse gas fluxes in seagrasses and mudflats in South African estuaries […]

eNews #04 2025 Running out of heat By Joh Henschel, Research Associate, SAEON Arid Lands Node contents Running out of heat An ecological forecasting initiative for Africa Tracking greenhouse gas fluxes in seagrasses and mudflats in South African estuaries NRF-SAEON spreads its branches within the SA Botanical community SAEON at sea: South African scientists join […]

SAEON eNews #04 2025 Link to: Running out of heat Link to: Running out of heat Running out of heat As temperatures rise globally, attention is increasingly focused on learning how to cope with the heat. What better than to study the pitch-black Namib beetle, which is active during the heat of the day in […]

eNews #03 2025 NRF-SAEON in the media By Staff Writer contents Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? Impacts of overfishing in arid regions – could aquaculture be the solution? Exploring the hidden: My journey in geohydrology and passion for groundwater The NRF-SAEON Egagasini Node and SAPRI contribute to white shark research […]

eNews #03 2025 Arid Lands Node host iNaturalist Challenge for youth from the Ikhutseng Community By Phumudzo Ragimana, Science Engagement Officer, Arid Lands Node contents Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? Impacts of overfishing in arid regions – could aquaculture be the solution? Exploring the hidden: My journey in geohydrology and […]

eNews #03 2025 Impacts of overfishing in arid regions – could aquaculture be the solution? By Zanele Ntshidi, SAEON Arid Lands Node & Arid Region Water Research Centre contents Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? Impacts of overfishing in arid regions – could aquaculture be the solution? Exploring the hidden: My […]

eNews #03 2025 Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? By Joh Henschel, NRF-SAEON Research Associate contents Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? Impacts of overfishing in arid regions – could aquaculture be the solution? Exploring the hidden: My journey in geohydrology and passion for groundwater The NRF-SAEON […]

SAEON eNews #04 2025 Link to: Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? Link to: Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? Can rangeland science play a role in managing brown locusts? NRF-SAEON research associate, Dr Joh Henschel, says it is time to improve the evidence concerning the role […]

eNews #02 2025 NRF-SAEON in the media By Staff Writer contents SAEON Egagasini Node leads collaborative deep-sea exploration in African waters onboard the OceanXplorer Optimising observation standards and data pipelines to enhance impact: The SAEON technical team leads the way SAEON shines at international savanna science conference ICSHMO 2025: Advancing southern hemisphere science AAORIA/Ocean20 Hybrid […]

Locust swarms are adorning the Karoo veld again, stirring all sorts of emotions in all and sundry. Such mass events following so shortly on dire droughts are truly awesome, no less now than when Anders Sparrman described this spectacle in 1785 and noted that locusts revitalised the veld by stimulating new growth that followed their passage.

In 2020, the SAEON Arid Lands Node team – led by Dr Helga van der Merwe, Tshililo Ramaswiela and Buster Mogonong – tested the SEOSAW methodology at Benfontein Nature Reserve as part of the EFTEON site development

The establishment of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) presents an opportunity to promote and expand long-term environmental research in the drylands of the Karoo. The National Research Foundation (NRF) now owns about 135 000 ha of land where the highest concentration of the SKA radio astronomy infrastructure will be placed.

It took 45 years of constant record-keeping, year-in-year-out, to determine why tenebrionid beetles have such extraordinarily high diversity in the Namib Desert. My recent analyses of these records revealed a cryptic complexity of time niches whereby a seemingly plain gravel plain undergoes a series of subtle changes that favour different species over time. 

I will be working at the core area of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which will be the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope. The postdoctoral research project will use novel approaches to understand the dynamics of Karoo systems and the factors which structure them across the arid region, specifically when subjected to drought.

A rare fairy shrimp, Pumilibranchipus deserti, was discovered for the first time in South Africa after being recorded only once from a single locality in Namibia during the 1980s. Unfortunately, the location it was found in, Hakskeenpan, is being subjected to major alterations, which might threaten this population in future.

SAEON technicians attended the event and gave presentations on “Facing the harsh realities of climate change”. The learners were fascinated to learn about the causes and impacts of climate change as well as mitigation and adaptation measures. The challenge was to give presentations that also catered for learners with special needs.