The Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom will launch the sixth Fynbos Node of the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) on Wednesday, 6 October 2010 from 18h00 at the Kirstenbosch Conference Centre, Cape Town.
SAEON is a research network under the National Research Foundation "(NRF) that establishes innovative research platforms and information management systems for long term, multi-institutional and participatory ecosystem research with strong regional and global linkages. These research platforms are coordinated as nodes.
This sixth Fynbos node is situated in the Fynbos Biome, one of the nine terrestrial Biomes in South Africa. It will offer an ideal platform to ensure long term monitoring of the impacts of global change on the fynbos biome. It will also provide data that can help scientists untangle the impacts of human induced global change on fynbos and understand these so as to come up with informed policies and management plans we can use to help reduce the negative impacts on our biodiversity.
The Fynbos Biome is an unparalleled system on a global scale and, hence, long-term environmental observation made possible by the SAEON Fynbos Node will assist in understanding the threats and opportunities resulting from global change.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact:
Nthabi Maoela
Cell: 082 944 0015
