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ARU launches SA component of global project towards understanding the future of alpine systems

26 October 2021 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Nonsindiso Qwabe

Read more new — From the right: Dr Ralph Clark,, with fellow researchers, Dr Stephanie Payne, Dr Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen, Dr Onalenna Gwate and Evelin Iseli, a Swiss PhD student on RangeX at the open top chambers on the Maloti-Drakensberg mountain range.

What impact has global change had on alpine vegetation in our own mountains and those around the world, and why are certain plants in mountains around the world rapidly expanding their ranges?

This is the question on which the Afromontane Research Unit (ARU) on the Qwaqwa Campus will be shining the research lens over the next three years, through Project ‘RangeX’, a multi-institutional research consortium under the Mountain Invasive Research Network (MIREN), with ETH Zurich (Switzerland) leading the research project. The project is underway in the Witsieshoek area of the Free State component of the Maloti-Drakensberg, as part of a global consortium to better understand the ecological drivers of range-expanding plant species in mountains around the world.

South Africa’s participation in the project is led by the ARU Director, Dr Ralph Clark. Other RangeX partners are Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, China, Chile, and France, with research locations in the Swiss Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Australian Alps, and Scandes.

The official launch of the research site for the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains, which took place on 20 October, marked the beginning of the South African component of globally coordinated research to understand how range-expanding species may affect current alpine environments under future climatic conditions. The launch involved a site visit to the summit of the Maloti-Drakensberg. Situated at 3 100 m above sea level in the Witsieshoek area, the research seeks to determine whether typical range-expanding species might colonise the alpine zone above 2 800 m under a simulated future warmer climate.

The South African component of RangeX is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) through BiodivERsA, an initiative of the European Union’s Horizon 2020, which promotes research on biodiversity and ecosystem services and offers innovative opportunities for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity.

Speaking at the launch of the project, Dr Clark said the alpine zone of the Maloti-Drakensberg is an ecologically severe environment, resulting in only specialised species being found above 2 800 m. “However, with climate warming, it can be expected that many lower elevation plants might start to ‘climb’ the mountain and invade its upper reaches. This will have a major impact on ecology, livelihoods, endemic alpine species, and water production.”

This is the first time that such experiments will be undertaken in the alpine context of the Maloti-Drakensberg, Dr Clark explained. The ARU is using this project to promote an ambitious and long-term alpine research programme centred on the Mont-aux-Sources area, where the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Lesotho meet.

Toto Matshediso, Deputy Director: Strategic Partnerships at DSI, said the Range X project with South African funding from the DSI was aligned with the departmental priorities for investment in global change and biodiversity research and innovation.

“The research conducted is strengthening international cooperation in terms of research collaboration with its European Union partners as a region, as well as bilateral partners involved in the project. The project is also located in an area that has been historically disadvantaged, and the DSI is proud to be part of contributors to mountain research initiatives and direct contribution to the local community. The project also places the spotlight on the rich biodiversity data of the area, and how it could contribute to the overall government priorities regarding biodiversity.”

News Archive

UFS sets trend for higher education institutions

2005-09-21

The University of the Free State (UFS) offers more service-learning courses than any other higher education institution in the country and has the highest number of students enrolled for these service-learning courses.

This was the research findings on higher education institutions conducted between 2001 and 2004 by the Joint Education Trust (JET) into service-learning courses. These are courses which seek to integrate service to the community into the academic core of higher education institutions.

The results of this research indicated that the UFS is one of the few higher education institutions in South Africa that have made progress in integrating community engagement into the mainstream academy.

According to the findings 2 233 students at the UFS participated in service-learning courses supported by JET, while 858 students at the University of Transkei (UNITRA), 636 students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and only 600 students at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) participated in service-learning courses.

In total there were 6 930 students participating in service learning courses supported by the JET at 10 institutions throughout the country.

The research also found that out of a total of 182 service-learning courses supported by JET countrywide, the UFS had the highest number of such courses at 42, followed by WITS with 28, the University of Kwazulu Natal with 26, UWC 24 and UNITRA with 22.

Nationally, most of the service-learning courses at higher education institutions are offered in the human sciences (62), followed by health sciences (37), education (26), agriculture (14), and economic sciences (11).

According to leading academics, service-learning is a credit-bearing, educational exercise in which students participate in an organised service activity that meets identified community needs and helps the student to gain a deeper understanding of course content and a sense of civic responsibility.

Reacting to the research findings, the Rector and Vice-chancellor of the UFS, Prof Frederick Fourie, said the university feels strongly that there should be integration of service-learning into the academic core of the institution.

“Through service-learning modules the UFS can give expression to its role of service to the community as an institution of higher learning, producing quality graduates who understand the communities in which they will have to function for the rest of their lives,” Prof Fourie said.

According to Mr Jo Lazarus, the project manager of the Community-Higher Education – Service Partnership (CHESP), which falls under the JET, a number of institutions have identified community engagement as a strategic priority and have allocated significant resources from their central budget towards its implementation.

Mr Lazarus said most students have an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards service learning.

“A large percentage of students surveyed indicated that their service-learning course helped to improve their relationship skills, leadership skills and project planning abilities. As significant is the fact that these courses also benefited them in terms of their awareness of cultural differences and opened their eyes about their own cultural stereotypes,” said Mr Lazarus.

“The key challenge still hampering the integration of service-learning as a core function of academic activity is that some institutions still see service-learning as an add-on, and nice-to-have activity,” he said.

According to Mr Lazarus higher education must demonstrate social responsibility and commitment to the common good by making available expertise and infrastructure for service-learning as a form of community engagement.

Media release
Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel: (051) 401-2584
   Cell: 083 645 2454
   E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
   20 September 2005

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