The Conservation Services Division comprises a number of units including Scientific Services which conducts the bulk of SANParks’ research and monitoring in the biophysical and social sciences across the parks.
The knowledge generated by scientists and supporting staff within the division and in collaboration with external associates informs park management and promotes the conservation of biodiversity, landscapes and associated heritage assets across SANParks’ network of protected areas.
Sometimes the most exciting results are not what you find, but what you don’t. In June, we visited the Groot Estuary to survey the invasive western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). Unlike most fish surveys, where the aim is to catch as many fish as possible, we were hoping for exactly the opposite. As we worked our…
The beginning of 2026 brought heavy rainfall to many parts of Kruger National Park (KNP), with unusually high rainfall recorded, which led to widespread flooding in several areas. With so much rain falling over a relatively short period, many people wondered how this event compared with some of the major floods experienced in the past,…
School holidays are always a perfect opportunity to combine learning and adventure, and this holiday was exactly that for the children of the Tokai Forest Community. On the 10th of July 2026, the Cape Research Centre marine team organised and accompanied a group of 23 children on an educational field trip to the Two Oceans…
13 October 2026 – 15 October 2026
Villa Castollini, Knysna
The Garden Route Interface and Networking (GRIN) Meeting is an annual event taking place in the Garden Route of South Africa, providing a forum for researchers and practitioners (from anywhere in the world) interested in better understanding and managing (or navigating) social-ecological systems and their complex interactions and feedbacks.
Based primarily out of Kimberley, the Arid Research Unit has a long history within SANParks. Established more than 3 decades ago, primarily focused on plant-herbivore-carnivore interactions, the unit has seen considerable flux over time. Currently, the Arid Research Unit supports research and monitoring in parks in both the Arid and Frontier region of SANParks.
The Cape Research Centre (CRC) was established in 2008. It is situated in the Tokai section of Table Mountain National Park on land that was formerly under plantation but is currently being restored to fynbos. The CRC was established to develop internal scientific capacity to serve the socio-ecological research needs…
Garden Route Scientific Services was established to develop internal scientific capacity to serve the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), which includes the previously proclaimed Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks, State Forests and mountain catchment areas, as well as the Knysna National Lake Area…
Formal in-house scientific research in SANParks has its roots in Kruger National Park (KNP) where the first staffed research station was established in the 1950s. Today the Savanna & Grassland Research Unit is responsible for managing research and monitoring activities across several national parks…