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Submerged: Exploration of the underwater world by Team Ocean Outlaws’ robotic Manta Ray named Fred

25 July 2025

Submerged: Exploration of the underwater world by Team Ocean Outlaws’ robotic Manta Ray named Fred

Over the past few decades, the global emphasis on fostering innovation has been driven by the constant evolution of technology, as new advancements continuously replace older ones with more efficient alternatives. Innovation has been directed towards the youth, because their fresh thinking often goes beyond what past generations envisioned. In South Africa, this spirit is…

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South Africa’s oldest Flux Tower turns 25!

19 June 2025

South Africa’s oldest Flux Tower turns 25!

It is well-known that plants give us oxygen and transpire water, and the little organisms within our soils release carbon dioxide. We also know that these gases are also available from the atmosphere. But do we know much about how they move between the ground and the sky above it? Thanks to a quarter of…

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Scientists, Rangers, and Horn-Free Rhinos: A Smarter Way to Save the Day

05 June 2025

Scientists, Rangers, and Horn-Free Rhinos: A Smarter Way to Save the Day

If rhinos had PR teams, they’d probably campaign for something like: “Love me for my wrinkles, not my horn.” Unfortunately, their iconic horns—made of the same stuff as our fingernails—have become one of the most sought-after wildlife products on the planet. And that has turned them into prime targets in a high-stakes, global crime saga….

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A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

30 May 2025

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Initially, the students stood in awe of a bird in the hand. Watching closely, University of Mpumalanga (UMP) students were guided through the process of bird capture and ringing; starting with how and where to set up mist nets to trap small passerine birds; safely removing caught birds from the nets; how to handle a…

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New marine alien species Amathia verticillata discovered in Langebaan Lagoon MPA

23 April 2025

New marine alien species Amathia verticillata discovered in Langebaan Lagoon MPA

Alien species are organisms not native to an area, often out-compete indigenous species, for food and space, and usually have no natural predators. Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area (MPA), located within the West Coast National Park (WCNP), is susceptible to the introduction of marine invasive alien species, due to a combination of ecological, environmental, and…

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The Garden Route, Frontier & Marine Research Unit grows and grooms!

14 April 2025

The Garden Route, Frontier & Marine Research Unit grows and grooms!

The seed for a Grow and Groom event for the Garden Route, Frontier & Marine Research Unit was planted and watered in 2024 and finally germinated in mid-February 2025. The lingering effects of Covid-19 on staff, the geographically distributed nature of our unit, and the need to collectively energise each other and plan for 2025…

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Understanding Wildlife in Kruger National Park: Animal Population Trends (Part 2)

27 March 2025

Understanding Wildlife in Kruger National Park: Animal Population Trends (Part 2)

Kruger National Park in South Africa is famous for its wildlife and is a key part of the country’s natural heritage. Managing wildlife is important to protect biodiversity while also supporting the economy. In most years, the South African National Parks (SANParks) conducts surveys to count animals in Kruger. These surveys help park managers make…

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Strengthening Marine Conservation: Bilateral Discussions Between West Coast National Park MPA and Bassin d’Arcachon Marine Nature Park

26 March 2025

Strengthening Marine Conservation: Bilateral Discussions Between West Coast National Park MPA and Bassin d’Arcachon Marine Nature Park

As part of the South Africa-France partnership, SANParks hosted a bilateral exchange from March 10th to 14th at West Coast National Park (WCNP). This collaboration, supported by the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), brought together six French delegates and SANParks representatives to share knowledge on the management and monitoring…

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Exploring African Seamounts on the OceanXplorer

17 March 2025

Exploring African Seamounts on the OceanXplorer

From January 30th to the 23rd of February, OceanXplorer and OceanQuest hosted 18 visiting scientists from nine different nations on the first Science Leg of the “Around Africa Expedition.” Led by a South African scientist from the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON), Dr Lara Atkinson, this expedition aimed to improve our understanding of seamount…

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Introducing the SANParks Biodiversity Information Management System

29 January 2025

Introducing the SANParks Biodiversity Information Management System

South African National Parks (SANParks) has a new Biodiversity Information Management System that was funded by the JRS Biodiversity System and developed by the Freshwater Research Centre and Kartoza (Pty) Ltd. It builds on the functionality of the Freshwater Biodiversity Information System (FBIS). The SANParks BIMS enables the input of different sources of occurrence information…

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Effective management of Invasive Alien Species is possible

23 January 2025

Effective management of Invasive Alien Species is possible

Background Despite the often-encountered perception that managing Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is too costly, often unsuccessful, and there are few tools available to managers, a major global assessment found this not to be the case. Acknowledging that controlling Invasive alien species is complex, in assessing management challenges, opportunities and lessons learned it was well established…

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