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UFS and Rhodes University collaborate to tackle woody encroachment in Southern Africa

18 June 2024 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo Suplied

The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU) at the University of the Free State (UFS) is proud to announce a collaborative effort with the Centre for Biological Control (CBC) at Rhodes University to address a critical environmental challenge: the expanding range of woody plants in Southern African mountains. This timely initiative takes place as part of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa's (GSSA) 59th Annual Congress Policy and Practice Workshop. The rapid encroachment of woody species into these mountain grasslands is disrupting natural ecosystems, threatening biodiversity, and impacting livelihoods dependent on these lands. This phenomenon alters fire regimes, reduces grazing capacity for livestock, and creates challenges for conservation efforts.

This collaboration directly aligns with the university's Vision 130, which emphasises "excellence in research and innovation that contributes to solving local, national, and global challenges." By addressing woody encroachment, this initiative contributes to sustainable rangeland management, a critical aspect of environmental health and economic development in South Africa.

The Workshop: A platform for shared knowledge and solutions

The GSSA 59th Policy and Practice Workshop, titled Woody range-expanding species in Southern African mountains: trends, predictions and mitigations, will be held on 26 July 2024 at the Gariep Forever Resort in the Free State, South Africa. This event provides a valuable platform for researchers, policy makers, land managers, and practitioners to:

Gain insights: Participants will gain the latest scientific understanding of the trends, predictions, and potential mitigation strategies for woody encroachment.

Share expertise: The workshop fosters an environment for open discussion, allowing attendees to contribute their valuable knowledge and experiences.

Network and collaborate: This event provides a unique opportunity to connect with colleagues from across Southern Africa, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange in addressing this shared challenge.

The GSSA workshop offers two ways to participate

Limited in-person spots (free): Thanks to sponsorship from ETH Zurich, 18 FREE in-person spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This allows for focused discussions and in-depth engagement (travel and accommodation are not included).

Free online participation: The workshop will be streamed online, allowing anyone with an internet connection to participate in the conversation virtually.

This is how one can get involved:

Anyone with a passion for sustainable rangeland management is encouraged to participate in this important event. Secure your spot by following these steps:

In-person attendance: RSVP to Minette van Lingen at info@gssa.org.za, copying Sithando Jwara (JwaraS@ufs.ac.za).

Online and in-person registration: Register here.

Join us as we work together to address this critical environmental challenge and ensure the future health of our Southern African mountain rangelands!

News Archive

Final lecture in Darwin series presented at the UFS

2010-02-23

At the lecture were, from the left: Prof. Terence McCarthy, Prof. Jo van As, Chairperson of the Darwin 200 Committee and Head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the UFS, Prof. Bruce Rubidge, Elsabe Brits, journalist at Die Burger and Esther van der Westhuizen, presenter on Groen.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) and The National Museum in Bloemfontein recently hosted the final lecture on the Charles Darwin lecture series entitled “The story of life and survival”.

The lecture was presented by Prof. Bruce Rubidge, the Director of the Bernard Price Institute for Paleontological Research at Wits University and Prof. Terence McCarthy, a Professor of Mineral Geochemistry at Wits and Head of the Department of Geology. Proff. Rubidge and McCarthy are co-authors of the book The Story of Life on Earth.

Their lecture with the topic “Trends in evolution and their bearing on the future of humankind” dealt with the future of evolution. According to Prof. Rubidge, ninety-nine percent of the species that have ever lived are extinct. “We are living in a time of mass extinction. Fifty thousand species become extinct annually,” he said.

Prof. McCarthy discussed many factors that can result in mankind’s extinction today. The impact of climate change, big volcanic eruptions, a comet or asteroid hitting earth, tsunamis and the collapsing of sea islands are some of the factors Prof. McCarthy believes could cause great catastrophe’s on earth.

“We live on the brink of this all the time,” he said.

Prof. McCarthy also believes that we can avoid these catastrophes. By allowing only one child per family we can shrink the global population with 30% per generation. This is doable in a short time span,” he said.

Other ideas he had on saving mankind from getting extinct is to create extensive ecological reserves on land but especially in the ocean, to decentralise everything, to change to renewable energy, to recycle resources and to be vigilant in doing this.

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