Scientific Services

Invasive alien species are a persistent challenge for environmental managers as they cause detrimental impacts to biodiversity, placing substantial pressure on the finite financial resources required to manage them. Finding solutions for monitoring and management of invasive alien species, which are cost effective, efficient, and non-detrimental to biodiversity, is a priority. Barriers to achieving this goal include access to economic resources, assessing impacts while accounting for ecological complexity, time lags in detecting invasions and their impacts, coordination of diverse stakeholders and the human effort needed to survey in challenging habitats. This session invites abstracts that tackle all aspects of invasion science, across all taxa and habitats.

Theme organisers:

Dr Dumisani Khosa

Scientist: Freshwater Ecology

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 0507

Dr Llewellyn Foxcroft

Scientist: Invasion Ecology

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4125

As landscapes transform through changing vegetation, shifting river morphology, bush encroachment, and the spread of peri-urban areas, the composition, function, and resilience of faunal communities are being reshaped, often in ways we do not yet fully understand. Savannas are supposed to be protected within national parks and other protected areas. Yet, successful conservation of large mammals has had unintended consequences for vegetation and other animal communities. At the same time, it is often the smallest organisms, such as moths and beetles that drive the emerging patterns of vegetation change in the present, with feedbacks across trophic levels. In this theme, we want to reflect on the consequences of keystone species – whether they are elephants or beetles – for various other biodiversity groups. This session will provide a platform to share research, highlight knowledge gaps and build collaborative networks to develop actionable strategies to better understand often-overlooked species.

Theme organisers:

Sharon Thompson

Scientist: Avian Biology & Research Coordinator

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 3545

Dr Corli Wigley-Coetsee

Scientist: Vegetation Dynamics

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4415

Fires are a fundamental and influential force in many of the world’s ecosystems, particularly in savannas, where they are a key abiotic factor. Research has explored aspects on the role of fire on driving vegetation patterns, how herbivores use a burned landscape and how fires influence soil properties. While we’ve made significant strides, our understanding of fire’s role isn’t complete. For instance, we’re still gaining a better grasp of how different fire regimes affect emissions from savanna ecosystems and how society perceives using fire as a management tool. This theme explores these various facets of fire—both as a force of nature that drives ecosystems and as an influence on global processes and society.

Theme organiser:

Dr Tercia Strydom

Senior Manager: Systems Ecology

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4024

The ground below our feet is often walked over without fully acknowledging it’s role in sustaining ecosystems. Geologies and the soils they form are critical for providing a medium for plant growth, to filter and store water, cycle nutrients as well as provide a home to a vast range of organisms, from tiny microbes to larger soil fauna. This theme will explore how geology and soils create an abiotic template—a non-living blueprint—that shapes the landscape creating a patchwork of different habitats. By exploring this relationship, we can better understand the intricate ways in which the ground supports key ecosystem processes and the diverse life that it sustains within savanna environments.

Theme organiser:

Dr Tercia Strydom

Senior Manager: Systems Ecology

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4024

This theme explores the transformative role of digital tools in advancing savanna science — from real-time monitoring and modelling to spatial decision-making and land management. Emphasis is placed on innovations in GIS & remote sensing, UAVs, AI-powered monitoring & predictive modelling and data integration to better understand, manage, and sustain the complexity of savanna systems.

Theme organisers:

Chenay Simms

GIS and Remote Sensing Analyst

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4378

Judith Botha

Science Manager: Knowledge Support

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4309

Protected areas have many palaeontological, archaeological, and historical signatures of the past. These are found embedded in recorded sites and the many heritage and natural objects that play a vital role in providing insights into the past. These are valuable sources in the unfolding of the pages that tells a rich natural and human past of protected areas. Each cultural heritage site or heritage and natural objects represents a snapshot in time, serving to illustrate the various events linked to the past, like a page in a book. Appreciation of the past is a great stepping stone in preparing for the future, helping us to track changes in the cultural history and natural environments, directly informing management strategies and conservation actions in the present and for the future.

Theme organisers:

Dr Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu

• Email: [email protected]

Nikisha Singh

Curator: Biological Reference Collection

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4140

SANParks’ Vision 2040 dares us to imagine a future where people and nature do more than simply coexist—they thrive side by side. At the heart of this vision lies the idea of Mega Living Landscapes: vast mosaics of protected areas, private lands, communal territories, and working landscapes that, when woven together, create resilience that is both ecological and social. These landscapes are not static maps, but living systems where biodiversity conservation, cultural values, and human wellbeing intersect. Yet, achieving this aspiration is far from straightforward. It demands inclusive governance that recognises diverse voices and values, adaptive management that learns by doing, and innovation that is bold enough to push boundaries. Within this mix, vertebrates—mammals, reptiles, and others—stand as key players. They shape ecosystem functions through their roles as grazers, browsers, seed dispersers, predators, and prey. They influence social dynamics through cultural meaning, conflict, and coexistence. They underpin economies through tourism, wildlife-based livelihoods, and ecosystem services. In short, they embody both the promise and the pressures of shared landscapes. This theme challenges us to reflect on how these needs reshape the futures of wildlife and people alike. How do we design and manage landscapes that can accommodate species requiring vast ranges, often stretching across properties with different owners and uses? What forms of governance and partnership make this possible? Which technological, ecological, or social innovations can strengthen the contributions of large mammals and other vertebrates to resilient landscapes? By grappling with these questions, this theme seeks to ignite new science, bold collaborations, and fresh perspectives. It calls on us to rethink old assumptions, test new models, and push the limits of imagination—so that people and wildlife may not only share space, but truly thrive beyond boundaries.

Theme organisers:

Dr Sam Ferreira

Specialist Scientist: Large Mammals

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 13 735 4237

Dr Louise Swemmer

Scientist: Social & Economic

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 3514

Savannas everywhere are undergoing massive changes. Areas that used to be open woodland are changing into areas dominated by shrub or forest. Areas that used to have plenty of large trees are losing large trees. These changes have certain consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services. This theme seeks to interrogate issues around large-scale vegetation changes. Which are the best methods to measure changes in woody cover and vegetation structure over time? Which factors drive vegetation change in different savannas? In terms of plant and animal biodiversity, who are the winners and who are the losers? Will maximum structural and cover diversity of vegetation deliver the best outcomes for biodiversity? How do we manage change in vegetation when so many drivers or the solutions are outside of our control?

Theme organiser:

Dr Corli Wigley-Coetsee

Scientist: Vegetation Dynamics

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4415

Freshwater ecosystems worldwide are deteriorating at a faster rate than other ecosystems. They cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface yet support a diversity of habitats and species that are highly sensitive to multiple anthropogenic stressors. Stressors such as altered flow regimes, changes in land use, pollution, the introduction of non-native species, and resource overexploitation have accelerated the deteriorating state of freshwater ecosystems, threatening the essential eco-services they provide. Although there are policies aimed at protecting freshwater ecosystems, implementation is often lacking. Additionally, policies that prioritise freshwater resource development and management for human use frequently overlook the biodiversity in these ecosystems. To effectively monitor long-term ecological responses to multiple stressors, an integrative approach is necessary, one that considers both the drivers of change and the ecological responses. This theme aims to explore the role of water (surface water and groundwater) for sustaining both the environment and society as well as the application of integrated water resources management in broader social-ecological systems.

Theme organisers:

Dr Tercia Strydom

Senior Manager: Systems Ecology

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4024

Dr Dumisani Khosa

Scientist: Freshwater Ecology

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 0507

We encourage all delegates to reach out to the session convenors with questions, ideas, or clarifications about how their work aligns with the themes, and to explore opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Theme organiser:

Judith Botha

Science Manager: Knowledge Support

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4309

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