The University of the Free State Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), in partnership with the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), has installed the highest weather station in Southern Africa – dramatically perched atop the Amphitheatre in the Maloti-Drakensberg at 3,100 m above sea level.

The cutting-edge station, part of the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON), will provide real-time climate data critical to understanding one of Africa’s most understudied ecosystems: its alpine zone.

“This station represents years of collaboration between SAEON and the ARU,” said Prof Ralph Clark, Director of the ARU. “It opens a window into the environmental processes that shape mountain ecosystems, which are vital for water security and biodiversity.”

The installation was led by Abri de Buys and Jeremy Moonsamy from EFTEON.

Co-coordinator Prof Johan van Tol highlighted that the data collected will deepen scientific insight into climate patterns, water cycles, and ecological shifts across the Maloti-Drakensberg region.

The new station is one of five positioned along an altitudinal gradient stretching from the UFS Qwaqwa Campus, through Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge, to the alpine zone atop the Maloti-Drakensberg escarpment. It complements existing programmes and research initiatives currently underway within the Mount-Aux-Sources Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research Platform (MaS-LTSER) – the only cross-border, mountain-focused LTSER platform in Africa.

Prof Ralph Clark, Director of the ARU, emphasised that the station represents the culmination of years of collaboration between SAEON and the ARU.

The station will be maintained by SAEON, and real-time data will be accessible here.