Image: Jeremy Shelton/SANBI
Upgraded ecosystem maps will guide research, but the field needs input from social science
Updated ecosystem maps will guide South African biodiversity research, according to the latest National Biodiversity Assessment launched by environment, forestry, and fisheries minister Barbara Creecy on 3 October.
The assessment paints a grim picture of South Africa’s biodiversity, with almost half of ecosystems types in danger of collapse and one in seven indigenous species under threat.
The four-year study, led by the South African National Biodiversity Institute, identifies the major pressures on biodiversity as habitat loss, changes to the movement of freshwater, species overuse, pollution, climate change, and invasive species.
The study flags that there are too few senior taxonomists in the country, and that there’s a need for greater scrutiny of links between biodiversity and human well-being.
The assessment’s datasets and ecosystem maps provide a basis for research, says lead scientist Andrew Skowno. “We have rebuilt a number of key foundational datasets that allowed us to undertake the assessment,” he explains. “For example, there is a brand new ecosystem map for the marine realm.”
The marine map’s terrestrial counterpart, which researchers have been using for several years, has more than 4,000 citations, he says: “It shows scientists are using these maps in their work. It helps scientists plan their research and interpret their findings.”
Social science input needed
Meanwhile, a study published this week in the South African Journal of Science highlighted conservation research’s need for more input from the humanities and social science. The paper investigated the most pressing areas of research for the Cape Floristic Region, which is a global biodiversity hotspot and one of the world’s six floral kingdoms.
“A challenge to tackling some of the questions lies in developing integrative approaches that will accommodate different disciplines and their epistemologies,” the authors write.