A NASA-funded research project on biodiversity has been launched in Cape Town to increase the understanding and conservation of biodiversity of the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR), one of the world’s 36 unique biodiversity regions and home to many threatened and endangered species.
BioScape’s Aim
BioSCape, as the project is termed, anticipates assisting in the discovery of new insights about biodiversity and help researchers better understand the impact of climate change and how to mitigate it. BioSCape is a collaborative initiative between the South African (SA) government through the National Research Foundation’s SA Environmental Observation Network (SAEON). It brings together scientists from across the globe to study this biodiversity and build capacity in SA. It is also expected to be of global benefit by developing new technologies for monitoring and managing nature’s contributions to humankind. It will continue throughout 2024 with most data collected in the course of the New Year.
According to SA lead scientist and lecturer at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Dr Jasper Slingsby, BioSCape is a unique and exciting project that will assist in providing new insights about the biodiversity of GCFR, one of the most diverse regions on Earth and provide new tools for mapping and monitoring it. He said that this information will be essential for supporting effective biodiversity conservation and management strategies for the region.
Nurturing Global Partnerships
Also part of the project is Professor Erin Hestir, from the University of California’s Merced Environmental Engineering and Geography Programme and Professor Adam Wilson of the University of Buffalo in New York, USA. Professor Hestir said the project is also aimed at understanding the biodiversity of this specific region and providing new mapping tools that could be used on a global scale. He added that BioSCape provides an ideal platform to “advance global scientific collaboration using state-of-the-art technology to tackle one of the greatest challenges facing us today: conserving biodiversity to sustain life on Earth.”
NASA Provides Environmental DNA
NASA aircraft conducted surveys and collected data which will be analysed along with a vast range of biodiversity-related field observations, including vegetation surveys, measures of plant and water spectral reflectance, phytoplankton samples, recordings of bird and frog calls and environmental DNA. “The Cape region of South Africa is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, and researchers there are global leaders in biodiversity science. If we can figure out how to do this here, we will enable similar science in many other places around the world and help to support global efforts to halt biodiversity loss and protect nature’s contributions to people,” Professor Hestir said.
SAEON’s managing director, Dr Mary-Jane Bopape said: “The [NRF], through its business unit, the SAEON, is proud to be a leading partner in BioSCape,” adding that this cutting-edge project is testament to the world-class biodiversity research being conducted in SA. “We are committed to contribute to data collection and using the information generated by BioSCape to drive environmental management decisions in the region.” Dr Bopape further said that during the data collection process, SAEON graduate, Indibano, will host some of BioSCape’s scientists as keynote speakers and workshop presenters. This, she said, will serve as a valuable platform for networking, knowledge exchange and insights into ground-breaking research and tools.
According to the NRF, the launch of the project was preceded by two years of intense planning with most of data collection having started in mid-October and ending in mid-December this year. This will complement aerial surveys conducted by NASA aircraft and instrument teams. The aerial surveys collected UV/visible to short wavelength infrared (UVSWIR) and thermal imaging spectroscopy and laser altimetry LiDAR data over terrestrial and aquatic targets, using four airborne instruments: AVIRIS-NG, PRISM, LVIS, and HyTES.
These instruments will be operated from two NASA Gulfstream aircraft. This data set is considered unique in its size and scope and unprecedented in its instrument combination and level of detail. Furthermore, it will be accompanied by a vast range of biodiversity-related field observations.
