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The CSIR conducts core research and develops competencies in various strategically critical areas of the natural resources and the environment (NRE) fields of study. Through relevant and focused research, CSIR Natural Resources and the Environment seeks to address the significant challenges regarding sustainable development in South Africa, with a focus on the optimal utilisation of natural resources in support of economic growth and human wellbeing. The research themes that underpin the CSIR's core research activities in this domain include coupled land, water and marine ecosystems, energy futures, sustainable social-ecological systems, forestry resources, mineral resources, pollution and waste, sustainability science, and water resources.
The CSIR's vision in terms of natural resources and the environment is "to be the world-leading research and development player, contributing to the optimal utilisation of the natural resource base for the sustainable benefit of South Africa and Africa". In line with the broader CSIR mandate, the aim is to conduct world-class, directed, inter-disciplinary research and technological innovation, with partners and stakeholders, in the field(s) of natural resources and the environment to contribute to the social, economic and environmental improvement of South Africa and Africa.
A key aspect of CSIR Natural Resources and the Environment's research strategy is the deliberate investment in science that is relevant and applied. As a result, the research is guided by sustainability science, which seeks to learn about interactions among humans, their technologies and the ecosystem services that sustain them, and to apply this learning to address urgent problems of economic development and environmental management.
The eight research themes are headed by small teams of highly qualified and experienced scientists. The research and development projects are executed in each of these groups.
Coupled land, water and marine ecosystems
Coupled land, water and marine ecosystems focuses on ecological structure and function in linked terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems, and their relationship to functional biodiversity and to ecosystem services. The emphasis is on ecosystems that are occupied and used by people to support their needs, rather than primarily on ecosystem in a pristine state. The theme is explicitly spatial and temporal, since it is centrally concerned with the linkages between different ecosystem facets: Land and atmosphere, land and freshwater, freshwater and coastal, ocean and atmosphere.
Energy futures
Potentially, the sub-Saharan African region has substantial and environmentally benign renewable energy resources distributed throughout. Existing estimates of energy use in Africa indicate a significant and persistent dependence on traditional biomass energy technologies and limited use of modern renewable energy technologies. The consumption of biomass, in its traditional and unprocessed form, entails significant energy losses and inefficient end use. The situation presents a clear dilemma: Access to readily available and affordable energy services is a necessary but insufficient condition for socio-economic development and the generation, transformation and transportation of (biomass and fossil fuel based) energy services cause significant and long-term impacts on the earth's climate (with associated environmental and socio-economic effects and impacts).
The challenge is thus to increase access to affordable energy services to enable productive economic activities and improvement in quality of life while decreasing the harmful implications of the services, which may negatively affect the access to future energy services.
Sustainable Social-Ecological Systems
The aim of the environmental assessment and management (EA&M) theme is to develop and improve the efficiency and functionality of environmental assessment and management tools, so as to ensure better understanding of potential Impacts associated with proposed developments and to facilitate a reduced duration and improved quality of the environmental decision making processes. It is envisaged that such improvement will significantly contribute towards achieving sustainable economic growth rates and environmentally sound decision making which are critical challenges to the future sustainable development of South Africa.
The theme addresses broad research questions which focus on improving our ability to understand the consequence of change and develop good science for the management of development activities so as to ensure optimal benefit, as well as for avoiding harmful consequences.
Forestry resources
The aim is to improve the knowledge of plantation landscapes, resources and processing chains in South Africa and Africa to benefit small, medium and large growers, to contribute to greater processor efficiency, to the economic growth and global competitiveness of the FTPP sector and to the sustainability and social benefits of the sector (individuals and collective), while seeking to minimise any negative environmental effects. Research endeavours in this domain also contribute to sustainable plantation management by strengthening research alliances and partnerships with local higher education institutes (HEIs) and research institutes, as well as with international researchers and research institutes. The development of competent researchers and in-depth research capability in this domain within the CSIR and in the country - through mentorship by local and international researchers - is an important imperative.
Pollution and waste
With a focus on pollution and waste, this research theme aims to address the core problem that increased anthropogenic pollution, and waste generation and disposal in changing environments will pose increasing risks to the environment resulting in it becoming increasingly compromised.
Therefore, the aim is to develop an understanding of the risks associated with increased waste generation and disposal, and pollution and pathogenic organisms on the environment, together with the cost and benefit of mitigation. The group deals with pollution generation, dispersion, impact, treatment and remediation.
The CSIR has a particular strength in the treatment of wastewater from mines and the recovery of useful products from wastewater streams.
Sustainability science
Sustainability science is emerging internationally as an approach to understand and inform the management of complex social-ecological systems. The ultimate goal of this research theme is that by 2011 the CSIR's internationally recognised capability in sustainability science will help key role players to understand and enhance the resilience of southern Africa's social-ecological systems.
Areas where the CSIR has comparative advantage in terms of sustainability science research include the science underpinning water resource management and related policy, biodiversity and conservation planning, urban settlement planning and environmental assessment and management.
Alternative water resources
This research theme seeks to develop a reliable predictive understanding of the outcomes in terms of human well-being, aquatic ecosystem integrity, and security of water supply, to different sectoral patterns, locations, levels, temporal scales and systems of water use in South and southern Africa.
The current strengths in this field span the spectrum from policy development to the development of implementation plans relating to water ecosystem assessment and management, water and human health, wastewater treatment and groundwater assessment and management. An additional and rapidly growing integrative strength is in the area of water resource governance systems, where biophysical knowledge is enriched with social, political and economic expertise to lead thinking on national and transboundary water resource management.
Contact Detail:
Dr Pat Manders
Executive Director
Tel: + 27 12 841 3680
Email: pmanders@csir.co.za |
