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UFS postdoc brings ecological balance and sustainable living practices for the City of Tshwane

16 May 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo supplied

Dr Yolandi Schoeman believes the project is directly contributing to the regeneration and conservation of biodiversity, innovating towards creating unique urban biodiversity markets, and creating a thriving natural habitat that supports ecological balance and resilience.

Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), recently congratulated the City of Tshwane for the work done on urban greening and nature-based solutions that resulted in its entry: ‘Republic of South Africa City of Tshwane Pretoria East Urban Biosphere Reserve’ being selected as one of 21 finalists in the Living Green for Biodiversity category of the AIPH World Green City Awards 2024.

The list of finalists comprises the three highest-scoring entries in each of the seven categories. The Tshwane project was entered in the Living Green for Biodiversity and Urban Ecosystem Restoration category as well as the Living Green for Urban Infrastructure and Liveability category.

Dr Yolandi Schoeman, Postdoctoral Fellow/Researcher in Ecological Engineering in the centres for Mineral Biogeochemistry and Environmental Management and the Ecological Engineering Institute of Africa at the University of the Free State (UFS), played a critical role in conceptualising and driving the bio-intelligent approach that is integral to the Tshwane SA Biosphere Reserve project.

She states that being part of a project recognised as a finalist for such a prestigious global award is profoundly gratifying. “It underscores the importance and urgency of our work in ecological engineering and biodiversity conservation, validating our efforts to create resilient urban ecosystems that can inspire similar initiatives globally.”

Enhancing urban sustainability

According to her, it is one of the university’s flagship projects in Gauteng. “Our team was pivotal in developing the methodological framework that facilitated the integration of ecological, economic, social, and technological dimensions to effectively address climate change, biodiversity loss, disconnections in coupled human and natural systems, and enhance urban sustainability.”

Dr Schoeman says the project was initiated in the early stages of their investigations into sustainable urban development, with notable developments in 2023, as highlighted during the City of Tshwane Climate Change and Research Conference. She indicates that the project is continuing, with phases that include various baseline research activities, active ecosystem regeneration, continuous monitoring, roll-out of a unique biodiversity citizen science approach, integrated and inclusive stakeholder involvement, creating a unique urban biodiversity market, awareness and capacity building, and moving towards formally applying to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the formal recognition of the urban biosphere region within the greater Pretoria East area.

She remarks that her inspiration to engage in this project stemmed from a commitment to address the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, particularly in urban settings. “The most remarkable aspect of the project is its innovative approach to integrating urban development with ecological engineering, fostering a sustainable coexistence between humans and nature that serves as a model for cities worldwide,” she says.

She is excited about the impact of the work that has been done. Not only is the project directly contributing to the regeneration and conservation of biodiversity, creating a thriving natural habitat that supports ecological balance and resilience, but it is also impacting the greater Tshwane community. Dr Schoeman believes that the project significantly enhances community engagement and participation, which in turn fosters greater awareness and responsibility towards sustainable living practices.

Crafting practical, impactful solutions

Besides her instrumental role in making an impact, Dr Schoeman also enjoyed the project, particularly the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders, including local communities, government bodies, and fellow researchers. “This multidisciplinary collaboration has not only enriched the project but has also been instrumental in crafting practical, impactful solutions tailored to the specific needs and characteristics of Tshwane,” she comments.

As a finalist in the Living Green for Biodiversity category of the AIPH World Green City Awards 2024, the city of Tshwane will receive a Highly Commended certificate at an awards ceremony in September in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and will ultimately have the opportunity to win the title of Grand Winner of the 2024 edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards.

News Archive

UFS Department of Physics offers unique learning experience with on-campus radio telescope

2015-12-14

Athanasius Ramaila, an Honours student in the Department of Physics, and Dr Brian van Soelen, a lecturer from the same department, in the laboratory where the radio telescope is housed in the new wing of the Physics Building on the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS. The telescope will be used to expose graduate students to the basic techniques of radio astronomy.
Photo: Charl Devenish

The university this year added a four-storey wing to the existing Physics Building on the Bloemfontein Campus. The new development, which includes four lecture halls and four laboratories, complements other world-class facilities such as the X-ray photoelectron spectroscope and the scanning electron microscope.

A unique asset that distinguishes the UFS Department of Physics from other similar institutions, is the Boyden Observatory situated approximately 27 km northeast of Bloemfontein. The observatory houses a powerful 1.5 m optical telescope, and several smaller, but well equipped telescopes.

According to Pieter Meintjes, Professor in the Department of Physics, the observatory has acquired a new addition - a 0.5 m optical telescope donated by the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) to the UFS Astrophysics Group. This optical telescope is one of two powerful optical telescopes used to introduce students to techniques such as photometry and spectroscopy.

“The telescope at Boyden forms an integral part of the Department of Physic’s student training and research programme. Because the UFS is the only university in South Africa operating such a facility, and one of only a few globally, Astrophysics students at the UFS have the unique privilege of having unrestricted access to these telescopes for their MSc and PhD studies,” says Prof Meintjes. In addition, the department has also built a radio telescope as part of a post-graduate student project. The telescope, housed in the new wing of the Physics Building at the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS, will be used to expose graduate students to the basic techniques of radio astronomy, especially in light of the fact that the SKA is nascent. Prof Meintjes would like to act proactively by grounding his students in the relevant techniques of radio astronomy. The telescope will be used to introduce students to the manner in which radio flux calibrations are performed in order to determine the energy output of an emitting source.

At undergraduate level, the radio telescope will be used, together with optical telescopes in the Astrophysics laboratory, to place students at a high baseline regarding the level of multi-wavelength astrophysics training received at the UFS.

Third-year and Honours students will also have the opportunity of practical training in a research laboratory with 15 computers. The laboratory is equipped with software used to reduce and analyse multi-wavelength data.

“My goal is for the UFS to become the major centre of multi-wavelength astrophysics in South Africa and a key role player in the international arena. To be able to do this, our training should be world class,” Prof Meintjes said.

Aided by its world-class facilities and research, the Department of Physics is competing with the best in the world. Research-wise, a group from the Department of Physics is intensively involved with the SKA Project (Square Kilometre Array), with 3 000 dishes reaching from Carnavon in the Karoo to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. According to Prof Meintjes, many detailed studies can be conducted with the SKA system of sources, showing major eruptions and mass effluent from the systems. Athanasius Ramaila, a BSc Honours student in Astrophysics at the UFS, has also received a two-year SKA internship, where he will be engaged in the SKA software engineering programme to help with developing software for the telescope.

The UFS Astrophysics Group is focusing on the multi-wavelength study of high-energy astrophysics sources. “This multi-wavelength approach to astrophysics is in line with the recent announcement by government that multi wavelength astrophysics will be the main focus for astrophysics research in South Africa. It is also a very important focus for research in the international arena, as can be seen from the large number of international conferences having a multi-wavelength character,” Prof Meintjes said.

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