PCU launches rePhotoSA

06 Dec 2014
06 Dec 2014

http://rephotosa.adu.org.za/

Homepage of the rePhotoSA website

After nearly a year of preparation, Timm Hoffman, Director of the Plant Conservation Unit (PCU) launched the rePhotoSA website at a Citizen Scientists day held in Pretoria on 6 December 2014.  This project makes available a large number of historical photographs of southern African landscapes taken by early botanists, foresters and other environmentalists.  These photographs which number many thousands have been used by staff and students of the Plant Conservation Unit in their research to document long-term change in the vegetation of southern Africa.  “Historical photographs provide us with the best time machine available” Timm said during his presentation at the launch.  “Together with early traveller’s diaries, aerial photographs and other archival record they provide a glimpse of the past against which current and future changes can be evaluated”.  Repeat photography is an increasingly important tool in global change research and through the involvement of Citizen Scientists the PCU will build on the more than 1,400 photographs already repeated by a large number of students and research associates affiliated to the unit.

Development of the website has been led by Esther Mostert with support from Sam Jack.  More than 4,000 historical landscape photographs taken by such well-known botanists as IB Pole Evans and John Acocks have been incorporated into the first phase of the website.  rePhotoSA has found a virtual home within the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) which is a global leader in Citizen Science-led research.  Les Underhill, Director of the ADU, approached Timm Hoffman about 18 months ago and suggested that a project involving Citizen Scientists around historical repeat photography would make a great addition to the large group of projects led by the ADU.  These include the well-known South African Bird Atlas Projects (SABAP1 & SABAP2), MammalMap, LepiMap and many others.  Rene Navarro, a pivotal member of the ADU staff and programme manager responsible for the Virtual Museum platform helped with the design and functionality of rePhotoSA.  We now wait to see what level of uptake there will be amongst the thousands of Citizen Scientists in South Africa who have an interest in long-term environmental change but who have never before had access to our amazing collection of historical landscape photographs.

For more information go to the website or write to rephotosa@gmail.com

Article by M.T.Hoffman