NEW PAPER ALERT: Karoo research update: Progress, gaps and threats

A new commentary by PCU Director Timm Hoffman, research assistant Hana Petersen and colleagues, titled 'Karoo research update: Progress, gaps and threats' was published today 29 January 2021 in the South African Journal of Science. A brief introduction can be found below. The full article is available here.

"It has been more than three decades since the conclusion of the Karoo Biome Project (KBP). At its height in the late 1980s, the KBP coordinated the efforts of nearly 100 research projects across a range of mainly ecological and agricultural disciplines. In this brief update we examine the research that has occurred in the Nama-Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes since then and describe the relative contributions made by different disciplines to this body of knowledge. We also highlight efforts to synthesise knowledge across the disciplinary divides. Finally, we identify notable gaps in the research, especially considering the major land-use changes that are occurring across the Karoo. We conclude that new questions should be asked and that significantly greater collaboration between disciplines should be fostered in order to address the pressing challenges facing the Karoo more effectively. This necessitates a far more coordinated response than has been the case to date. Institutional leadership and additional funding will also be required to achieve this."