South African Environmental Observation Network
Encyclopedia
The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is a science network of people, organisations and, most importantly observation platforms, that perform Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) in South Africa
and its surrounding oceans. The SAEON is of global importance as an innovative approach in ecology to understand environmental change and to determine the impact of anthropogenic forces at multiple scales but it is a remarkably complex challenge to statistically discern between ubiquitous natural variability and exogenous forcing. The SAEON constitutes a national government response to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002
) and is a component of the GEO (Group on Earth Observations
). The SAEON has become the leader in environmental science and observation in South Africa but has been criticised for taking a long time to establish, a situation which was inevitable in view of SAEON's multiple stakeholder corps. It has also been raised that the cost of replicated experimental treatments across SAEON sites will be high
African environmental observation network that delivers long-term reliable
data for scientific research and informs decision-making; for a knowledge
society and improved quality of life
South African government departments met with the proponents of a South African LTER in 2001 and approved the establishment of the SAEON under the management of the National Research Foundation
. The Department of Science and Technology (South Africa) funded the SAEON as of 2002. In 2004, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism recognised the potential role of the SAEON in climate change research in the national Climate Change Response Strategy.
The SAEON is coordinated by a National Office located in Pretoria
.
An example of the role that the SAEON plays in the wider field of Earth observation is its assumption of custodianship of the Jonkershoek hydrological observation system in 2009 and the long-term preservation of the data set that spans more than seven decades.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and its surrounding oceans. The SAEON is of global importance as an innovative approach in ecology to understand environmental change and to determine the impact of anthropogenic forces at multiple scales but it is a remarkably complex challenge to statistically discern between ubiquitous natural variability and exogenous forcing. The SAEON constitutes a national government response to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002
Earth Summit 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD or Earth Summit 2002 took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss sustainable development by the United Nations. WSSD gathered a number of leaders from business and non-governmental...
) and is a component of the GEO (Group on Earth Observations
Group on Earth Observations
The Group on Earth Observations is coordinating international efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems . It is linking together existing and planned Earth observation systems and supporting the development of new ones where the need exists...
). The SAEON has become the leader in environmental science and observation in South Africa but has been criticised for taking a long time to establish, a situation which was inevitable in view of SAEON's multiple stakeholder corps. It has also been raised that the cost of replicated experimental treatments across SAEON sites will be high
Vision
SAEON is a comprehensive, sustained, coordinated and responsive SouthAfrican environmental observation network that delivers long-term reliable
data for scientific research and informs decision-making; for a knowledge
society and improved quality of life
Development Path
The SAEON's development was stimulated by the International Long-Term Ecological Research in 1996 and promoted further by South Africa's Foundation for Research Development. This initiative led to a study tour of the USLTER and a landmark national science meeting, held together with an ILTER meeting in 1999, during which a large number of stakeholders supported the notion of a South African LTER.South African government departments met with the proponents of a South African LTER in 2001 and approved the establishment of the SAEON under the management of the National Research Foundation
National Research Foundation
The National Research Foundation is a foundation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the United Arab Emirates. It has been designed to promote research activity in private and public universities and colleges, at centers of research in institutes and in companies, by...
. The Department of Science and Technology (South Africa) funded the SAEON as of 2002. In 2004, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism recognised the potential role of the SAEON in climate change research in the national Climate Change Response Strategy.
Nodes and Governance
The SAEON performs environmental monitoring and research via strategically located nodes. The nodes also provide research support to collaborators. Nodes are geographically distributed across South Africa to provide good coverage of biomes or subsets thereof. At the start of 2011 the respective nodes were:- SAEON Ndlovu Node at PhalaborwaPhalaborwaPhalaborwa is a town situated in the Mopani district, halfway up along the length of the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo province in South Africa. The Lowveld, also known as Valley of the Olifants, has the highest winter temperatures in South Africa. The rainfall is low and the average winter...
, hosted by the South African National ParksSouth African National ParksSouth African National Parks is the body responsible for managing South Africa's national parks. SANParks was formed in 1926, and currently manages 20 parks consisting of , about 3% of the total area of South Africa....
. The node focuses on the SavannaSavannaA savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
Biome - SAEON Elwandle Node in GrahamstownGrahamstownGrahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
, hosted by the South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversitySouth African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityThe South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity , is involved in research, education and in applications of its knowledge and research to African fish fauna, for either economic or conservation benefit...
. The node focuses on coastal-inshore systems. - SAEON Egagasini Node in Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs. The node focuses on marine-offshore systems. - SAEON Fynbos Node, in Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The node focuses on the mediterranean Cape Floral Kingdom. - SAEON Arid Lands Node, in Kimberley, Northern CapeKimberley, Northern CapeKimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
, hosted by SANParks. The node focuses on the Nama KarooKarooThe Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
and Succulent KarooSucculent KarooThe Succulent Karoo is a desert ecoregion of South Africa and Namibia.-Setting:The Succulent Karoo stretches along the coastal strip of southwestern Namibia and South Africa's Northern Cape Province, where the cold Benguela Current offshore creates frequent fogs. The ecoregion extends inland into...
Biomes. - SAEON Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node, in PietermaritzburgPietermaritzburgPietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
, hosted by Ezemvelo KZN WildlifeEzemvelo KZN WildlifeEzemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes of Pietermaritzburg, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial...
. The node focuses on the Grassland and Forest Biomes as well as on wetlands.
The SAEON is coordinated by a National Office located in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
.
Observation and Research
The SAEON focuses on question-driven in situ monitoring to gather time-series data at multiple scales with a view to understanding environmental change guided by a Core Science Framework.An example of the role that the SAEON plays in the wider field of Earth observation is its assumption of custodianship of the Jonkershoek hydrological observation system in 2009 and the long-term preservation of the data set that spans more than seven decades.