We intend to play an active role in sharing our findings, knowledge and experience of fynbos ecohydrology with both the scientific community and public at large.
top ^In 2006, in collaboration with Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) project of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) we initiated Plant Monitoring Day.
Plant Monitoring Day is an annual regional educational exercise aimed at making students and teachers aware of the rich diversity of plants in their local surroundings, develop skills in field botany as well as scientific inquiry. Furthermore, the exercise is important not only as an educational experience but also as a source of gathering useful data for conservationists.
Plant Monitoring Day is conducted in the first week of September each year, which coincides with Arbor Week. CREW coordinates the activity through provision of experts and involves its extensive volunteer network .
The project started with 6 schools from the three provinces of the Cape (Western, Eastern and Northern) in 2006. As of 2008, Plant Monitoring Day has been launched nationally.
Fynbos Forum, Citrusdal, South Africa (2010 invited)
SAEON Summit, Kirstenbosch, South Africa (2010 invited)
British Ecological Society Annual Meeting - Oxford (2006); Glasgow (2007) and Hatfield (2009 invited); Leeds (2010)
Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting -Milwaukee, WI(2008) and Albuquerque, NM (2009 invited)
International Association of Vegetation Science Annual Meeting - Stellenbosch, South Africa (2008)
Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystems: their functions and values - Worcester College, University of Oxford (2008)
We aim to disseminate our work via printed and online media.
Click the microphone to hear Dr. Araya describe the project.
A popular science article "Understanding how water resources shape our flora" has been published in Veld and Flora, 95(2):96-97(Journal of the South African Botanical Society).
We have undertaken interview with local Cape Town Afrikaans daily broadsheet: Die Burger. This will be available shortly.
We also share our work on the BBC/Open University partnership website (www.open2.net). A most recent article was "Can bushfire be good for nature?" Link given below.
We also are working on a number of scientific papers. Published papers include:
"Variation in delta 13-C among species and sexes in the family Restionaceae along a fine-scale hydrological gradients". Austral Ecology.DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.02089.x
"A fundamental, eco-hydrological basis for niche segregation in plant communities". New Phytlogist. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03475.x
OU/BBC Science, Nature, Technology Blog (Bushfire)
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