Generating data on southern Africa’s mountains

Across southern Africa, mountain systems like the Maloti-Drakensberg and Mount Mulanje act as water towers for rapidly expanding towns and cities, and provide cool havens for birds, insects, animals and even fish.

But these mountains are degrading fast – because of climate change, and the growing numbers of people and their livestock that live on them, because of the introduction of alien invasive species like black wattle and patula pine that suck up precious water and displace fragile habitats.

If we do nothing, these mountains will become dry and empty of life. We must not let that happen.

We champion these mountains and the services they provide to the region.

We build research centres on mountains to enable local scientists to conduct field research, we install weather stations on summits and provide rare, high elevation data free of charge to governments and businesses, and we are working with universities to co-create a community of practice for southern African mountains.

By making mountains focal areas for research, we enable policy makers to develop effective trans boundary solutions that safeguard the mountains and enable them to be sources of fresh water and islands of biodiversity.