FEFA Researchers and Collaborators showcased their work at the Savanna Science Network Meeting held from 06 to 09 March 2023 at the Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, South Africa. The 20^th Network Meeting was well attended by researchers from all over the world including USA, UK, Australia, and Africa. The four-day conference was fully packed with presentations and posters under various themes in which the FEFA team also contributed.

Below is a list of presentation titles by the FEFA team:

Sally Archibald (FEFA PI):
Tree and grass drought responses in seasonally arid ecosystems
Tatenda Gotore (Research Associate):
Manage competition to maximise productivity in miombo woodlands: Results from ZFC – SEOSAW Partnership
Frances Siebert (Funded Collaborator):Treeless savannas vs grasslands: both ancient, but floristically and functionally different
Nikki Stevens (Collaborator):
Grassy Ecosystems in the Anthropocene
Bob Mandinyenya (OGRC Collaborator):
Understanding space use by African elephants to inform spatial conservation prioritisation.
Duncan Kimuyu (Funded Collaborator):
Re-introducing extinct megafauna may initially have catastrophic effects on naïve plant communities

During the meeting, a few of the FEFA team visited the Skukuza eddy covariance flux tower site. The purpose and history of the flux tower were described by Felix Skhosana and Humbelani Thenga from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and Sally Archibald.  Felix and Humbelani gave an overview of the site and talked about how they are using the tower’s data for their PhDs.  Sally Archibald explained how the soil catena determine the vegetation at the site and discussed how herbivory impacts the vegetation.