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The biodiversity and ecosystem services research group promotes long-term biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation at a landscape scale through the interface between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. This group focuses on the two key thematic research areas:
- Links between biodiversity and ecosystem services and the consequences of ecosystem change
- Managing resilience of ecosystems through integrated conservation planning.
The ecology of ecosystem services
This focused research area aims to contribute to the ecological understanding of ecosystem services in order to promote their conservation and management. This understanding includes: Identifying the key biodiversity features or 'ecosystem service providers' responsible for an ecosystem service, assessing the impacts of ecosystem integrity declines on service provision, and measuring the spatio-temporal scale.
Integrated conservation planning
This focused research area aims to address three key gaps in the field of conservation planning: Aquatic conservation planning protocols and tools, planning for implementation and dynamic conservation planning. It builds on from the CSIR's existing strong capacity in terrestrial conservation planning.
The ecology of ecosystem services
- Developing a risk assessment framework for ecosystem services of climate regulation under conditions of climate change
- Developing frameworks for ecosystem service planning and management
- Determining the impact of alien invasive plants on ecosystem services in South Africa
- Quantifying and mapping the flow of benefits from ecosystem services
- Linking biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Little Karoo and Kruger National Park
- Developing and assessing monitoring frameworks for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Integrated conservation planning
- Developing a protected areas expansion strategy for South Africa (in collaboration with SANBI and SANParks)
- Developing and testing thresholds and criteria for listing threatened ecosystems (in collaboration with SANBI)
- Developing conservation plans for national water management agencies
- A conservation plan for the Prince Edward Islands (in collaboration with WWF-SA)
- A biodiversity and ecosystem services-based conservation plan for the Grassland Biome (in collaboration with SANBI)
- A biodiversity strategy and action plan for the Wild Coast
- Fine scale planning for the Cape Floristic Region (in collaboration with C.A.P.E)
- Integrated conservation planning for the Little Karoo (in collaboration with the Little Karoo Study Group)
- Conservation planning and ecosystem services as tools in sustainability science.
Research group leader: Dr Belinda Reyers,
BReyers@csir.co.za,
+27 21 888 2488
Administration:
Charmalyn Snell,
CSnell@csir.co.za,
+27 21 888 2460
Communication and media:
Renatè Janse van Vuuren,
rjvvuuren@csir.co.za,
+27 12 841 2505
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