eNews
#06 2024
LAUNCH: The Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network
By Abri de Buys, Warren Joubert, Helga Knoetze, Kathleen Smart & Gregor Feig, EFTEON. Photos: Monsoon Photography.
The Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON) was officially launched on 21 November. Dignitaries and stakeholders from across the country gathered at the scenic Spioenkop Nature Reserve in Northern KwaZulu-Natal and the Cathedral Peak Hotel in the heart of the Drakensberg to attend this landmark event.
Spioenkop Dam in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Dignitaries included the acting director-general of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Research Foundation (NRF), board members and managerial staff from the NRF and SAEON, various academic and conservation partners, a delegation from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, industry partners and stakeholders from the local community. Dr Warren Joubert, Landscape Scientist – Atmospheric Chemistry and Meteorology based in the Greater Cape Town Landscape, acted as programme director for the day.
Guests included the acting director-general from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the chief executive officer from the National Research Foundation (NRF), board and managerial staff members from the NRF and SAEON, various academic and conservation partners, a delegation from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, industry partners and stakeholders from the local community.
In his opening address Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, CEO of the NRF, emphasised the commitment from DSTI through its research infrastructure roadmap, which includes EFTEON (now hosted by SAEON).
One of the EFTEON Landscape Forum partners, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s Ian Rushmore, was next on the programme. He presented some of the mutually beneficial collaborative activities in the landscape, followed by community representatives Nicholas Madondo and Phumelele Hlongwane, who outlined the benefits of the research activities for their respective communities and welcomed future observation and research.
In her keynote address, the acting director-general of the DSTI, Gugulethu Zwane, highlighted the importance of DSTI’s research infrastructure programmes for South Africa’s knowledge economy, and their utility in decision support and policy.
From left: Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo (CEO, NRF); Ian Rushworth (acting head of Scientific Services – Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife); Nicholas Modondo (community representative); Phumelele Hlongwane (community representative); Gugulethu Zwane (acting director-general, DSTI) addressing fellow dignitaries and stakeholders.
Showcasing EFTEON research and infrastructure
Next on the programme was a tour to the Spioenkop Dam, where dignitaries and stakeholders learnt more about the research capabilities and activities of the EFTEON programme, and engaged with academia and community stakeholders. They were accompanied by teams from EFTEON and the SAEON Grasslands Node, who demonstrated the hydrology observations infrastructure, eddy covariance flux tower and an automated weather station where environmental monitoring activities in the landscape were showcased.
EFTEON staff had set up exhibition stands at each station, where they showcased the infrastructure, equipment and monitoring programmes that are taking shape. At each of the exhibitions, a vibrant interaction between the delegates and the EFTEON team ensued.
At the dam, water quality and hydrology sampling techniques were demonstrated and explained. The eddy covariance exhibition highlighted the fluxes of carbon, water and energy between the atmosphere and the surrounding vegetation as well as some of the data publication and management infrastructure that is being developed within SAEON. The position of an African flux network in the global network and some of the applications and research questions were discussed.
At the eddy covariance tower, guests visited the biodiversity station, where staff members shared information on EFTEON’s strategy for biodiversity monitoring and techniques already being implemented in the EFTEON landscapes. The importance of long-term ecological monitoring was emphasised, as well as its value for understanding environmental change and its implications for human-environmental interactions. At the automated weather station, the meteorological and atmospheric chemistry instruments were explained.
Exhibition stands set up by the EFTEON team at each station showcased the infrastructure, equipment and monitoring programmes that are taking shape. The guests visited the following stations (clockwise from top left): Hydrology, Instrumentation (eddy covariance), Meteorological and Atmospheric Chemistry, and Biodiversity.
Gala dinner
After the site visits, guests travelled to the Cathedral Peak Hotel and Didima Resort for the evening’s gala dinner.
Guests were once again welcomed by programme director Dr Warren Joubert. EFTEON manager, Dr Gregor Feig, opened the evening’s procedures with a vibrant speech outlining the inception and stakeholder engagement that gave rise to EFTEON. His excitement was evident when he outlined the progress made so far and highlighted the sterling contribution by the EFTEON staff.
The evening programme further included addresses by the CEO of the NRF, Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo; chairperson of the NRF Board, Prof. Mosa Moshabela; managing director of SAEON, Dr Mary-Jane Bopape; manager of the SAEON Grasslands Node, Sue van Rensburg; principal scientist for the Institute for Natural Resources and head of the multi-stakeholder forum the Northern Drakensberg Collaborative (NDC), Dr Brigid Letty; and EFTEON early career researcher, Dr Amukelani Maluleke, recently appointed as an instrument technician at the EFTEON lowveld landscape based in Mpumalanga (add link to his article).
A launch video shown to the guests summarised what EFTEON entails and showcased some of its spectacular landscapes and the teams working in these landscapes (insert link to video here).
Dr Gregor Feig (EFTEON manager)
Brigid Letty (Northern Drakensberg Landscape Collective)
Dr Warren Joubert welcoming the guests.
Dr Mary-Jane Bopape (SAEON MD) and Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo (NRF CEO).
Sue van Rensburg (manager, SAEON Grasslands Node).
Vote of thanks
“EFTEON would like to thank everyone who took the time out of their busy schedules to celebrate this momentous occasion with us,” says Gregor. “We appreciate your support, participation and leadership on many levels. We look forward to a prosperous future, where we continue to build a world-class environmental research infrastructure with opportunities for a special breed of people who can deliver science with impact, that can aid in making South Africa a sustainable society.”
The EFTEON team with Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo (front). Back row from left: Dr Kathleen Smart, Dr Warren Joubert, …
