SAJS: Land-cover change puts biodiversity at risk August 12, 2010
Posted by Andrea in : SAJS, Uncategorized , add a commentLand-cover transformation poses one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity and, in light of extensive land-cover change, protected areas are often viewed as a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for conservation. However, there has been growing awareness that formally protected area systems are failing to protect global biodiversity effectively.
Conservation initiatives have had to look beyond reserve fences, to the actual management of the surrounding landscape, to enhance the functioning of protected areas. Land-cover transformation beyond the borders of the protected areas may have potentially devastating impacts on the ongoing conservation efforts undertaken within these, should it continue unchecked. (more…)
What’s in a name? The naming of Australopithecus sediba May 10, 2010
Posted by Alan in : SAJS, Uncategorized , add a commentProf Alan Morris, UCT; Associate Editor of SAJS
The first person to describe a new fossil gets the rights to name it. This has got be done at the time of the first publication as the privilege is not retrospect. Hesitate and someone else will pip you at the post. The payout is pretty impressive because the once the fossil has been named, the name is there forever with your priority stamped all over it in Latin.
But not everything in the name game is about priority and bragging rights. The whole system of classification is an art, not a science, and the choice of name tells you as much about the researcher as it does about the fossil. (more…)
South African Journal of Science: current issue highlights October 23, 2009
Posted by Linda in : SAJS , 2commentsUniversities in a time of change
The common thread between all universities is that they are centres of debate and independent and critical thinking. In this issue, Nithaya Chetty discusses the threat that the suppression of academic freedom poses to South African universities, and raises his concerns regarding their corporatisation; and an associated marginalisation of the views of academics.
He points out that there is a widely-held view in South Africa, that academic freedom is a front for the perpetuation of elitism, and resistance to transformation. He thus argues that in order for our universities to protect academic freedom, it is essential for them to embrace valid processes of transformation.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 325 – 327.
South Africa’s gold production: not worth its weight in gold?
South Africa’s gold mining industry continues to be a major economic force in the country, but it is not nearly as important as it used to be. South Africa has, for example, recently fallen into second place behind China in the world ranking of gold producing countries. Despite this decline in production, South Africa still claims first place in the world ranking of gold reserves. Hartnady discusses the credibility of this claim using a critical analysis of gold production on the Witwatersrand. He argues that the Witwatersrand goldfields are 95% exhausted, and that it is time to examine the benefits of a declining industry against the costs to the environment.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 328 – 330.
Possible termite fossils in South Africa
The range of possible trace fossil architectures found in the Lower Jurassic sandstones in the Karoo region is reported for the first time in this issue by Bordy et al. The architecture of these sandstone structures indicates that they are fossils of an early Jurassic social insect, and they may be the best preserved social insect traces from the former Gondwana reported to date. This discovery in South Africa, together with an increasing number of fossils attributed to termite origin in North America, suggests that sociality in insects originated in the early Mesozoic, before the breakup of Pangea, which would explain their worldwide distribution today.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 356 – 362
Fire management in threatened fynbos
Brian van Wilgen reviews current and historical fire management practices in fynbos. In fynbos, burning was initially considered to be destructive and prevented where possible. But gradually, as the vital role of fire in fynbos ecosystems became better understood, managers turned to prescribed burning and experimented with different space and time protocols. Despite these policies of prescribed burning, wild fires remain the dominant feature in fynbos, fortunately driving a variable fire regime that remains broadly aligned with conservation objectives. The problem of conserving fire-adapted fynbos is complicated by invading alien trees that are also fire adapted. Despite improvements in control methods, alien trees, notably pines, continue to spread almost unchecked. Biological control offered some hope for controlling pines, but was ruled out as too high a risk for these commercially important trees. Failure to address this problem adequately will almost certainly result in the severe degradation of remaining fynbos ecosystems.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 335-342.
Academy addresses poverty alleviation issues August 18, 2009
Posted by Andrea in : Reports , 1 comment so farMillions of South Africans are struggling to survive, living in absolute poverty. Informal settlements have mushroomed in the past 20 years, as a result of rapid unplanned urbanisation. This has created high levels of poverty and a lack of infrastructure. (more…)
South African Journal of Science first on SA Open Access platform August 13, 2009
Posted by Andrea in : SAJS , add a commentThe South African Journal of Science (SAJS) is one of the first South African journals to be hosted on the fully Open Access platform, SciELO South Africa. This represents a major achievement in South Africa that will benefit researchers and scholars in providing a free-to-publish, free-to-access platform for the best scientific thinking the country has to offer.
SciELO focuses on developing countries where few end users have access to traditional peer-reviewed academic journals either online or in print form. Access to journals is subscription-based and can be very expensive. Only certain libraries carry them, meaning that there have been severe restrictions in accessibility and affordability up to this point. The Open Access platform for these journals aims to combat these restrictions, while simultaneously enhancing the international visibility of South African research. (more…)
HIV vaccines: should SA be focusing on alternatives? August 13, 2009
Posted by Linda in : SAJS , add a commentIn the wake of disappointing results from the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), and an equivalent trial which was halted in South Africa last year, Lynn Morris, from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases , and co-workers argue that there is still optimism for the development of a vaccine against HIV.
As the country with the most HIV infections in the world, South Africa has the greatest need for an HIV vaccine. Rather than cutting back on vaccine development, the country should double its efforts in a smart and innovative way. History shows that vaccination is still the most effective way to counter viral epidemics – smallpox, measles, hepatitis and other infections have either been eradicated or successfully controlled. The lessons learned from developing the polio vaccine are useful reminders that making a vaccine is no easy task, and that we still face many obstacles.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (5/6), 168-169.
