News

Scientists who are investigating the spread of invasive bird species in South Africa have asked avid bird ringers and birders to take more careful note of the presence of possible invading species, in an effort to help future related research projects. They also made a call on people who are importing animals and birds foreign [...]

When he started his studies in China in the 1990s, Dr Cang Hui was quite set on becoming an applied mathematician. However, an academic mentor in his third year, who happened to be a biomathematician, introduced him to matters relating to biology, and set him on his path as a mathematical ecologist. “I came under [...]

Australian acacias are the topic of discussion during an extensive workshop being held this week by the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology(C·I·B) at Stellenbosch University (SU). According to workshop organiser Prof Dave Richardson of the C·I·B, the focus falls on the ecology and management of Australian acacia as they occur outside their natural [...]

The influence of climate change and invasive species in Australia and other countries will be discussed on 5 October during the third instalment of the public lecture series being held by the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) at Stellenbosch University to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). The talk will be [...]

Should we be more worried than we already are about the state of southern Africa’s natural beauty? Yes, says Prof Steven Chown from Stellenbosch University, who will address issues on the extensive and rapid change to biodiversity in the region in a public lecture on 15 September in Stellenbosch. His talk is part of a [...]

Wanted: the anecdotes, stories, slides, diaries and photos of the construction workers, scientists, mariners, joiners, engineers and doctors who have been involved in South Africa’s research bases in Antarctica and on Gough and Marion Islands since the start of the previous century. This request comes from Dora Scott, a researcher associated with the DST-NRF Centre [...]

Students from the Department of Botany and Zoology and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) at Stellenbosch University took part in the National Science Week festivities at the MTN Sciencentre in Cape Town, by sharing information about their research fields with local learners. The students acted as mentors during the “Speed date [...]

In celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity, the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) at Stellenbosch University is hosting a series of public lectures, starting on 18 August 2010, that will see a selection of local and international speakers take the stage on matters relating to biodiversity decline, climate change, invasive species [...]

A Chinese study has rated Prof Dave Richardson, Deputy Director: Science Strategy at the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University, as the world’s most productive and influential author writing on issues surrounding invasion biology. This is according to a biometric analysis by two scientists of the Laboratory of Biological Invasion and [...]

Invasive alien species, ranging from disease and plants, to rats and goats, are one of the top three threats to life on this planet. This is according to a new publication coordinated by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) in which invasion biologists from the Centre for Invasion Biology took the lead.

Prof Steven Chown from Stellenbosch University (SU) has been named as the inaugural recipient of the Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica worth $100 000 (about R750 000), in recognition of his outstanding work on the study of invasive alien species and the effects of climate change and human interactions in the region.

Leonie Joubert, a science writer and associate of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University, has been named the SAB Environmental Journalist of the Year in the print and internet category for two books she authored on climate change and invasive species.  The SAB Environmental Journalists Awards have become South Africa’s [...]

Prof Steven Chown, director of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology and professor in Zoology at Stellenbosch University (SU), is the 2009 recipient of the Gold Medal from the Zoological Society of Southern Africa (ZSSA).According to the ZSSA, Prof Chown counts amongst the “zoological elite”, and has made significant contributions to all spheres [...]

A popular science book that provides a readable account of the impact of invasive species on South Africa’s plants and animals, has been published thanks to the support of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University (SU). Invaded: The Biological Invasion of South Africa is written by science journalist and [...]