The Savannah Research Centre has contributed vastly towards biodiversity conservation in a global biodiversity hotspot. The centre is in Mbuluzi Game Reserve in Eswatini, Southern Africa & has contributed over 170 publications since 2005. It provides important data & skills for conservation action. Students from universities such as UNESWA, UF, UWITS, Wageningen, UEA, Auburn etc. make valuable contributions. The research centre has been massively hit by floods and we are striving to rebuild it.
On February 9, our Savannah Research Centre (SRC) reported immense flooding. The Kingdom of Eswatini experienced heavy rains in February 2023 where extensive infrastructure has been damaged, including at SRC. Our team has been working tremendously hard to rebuild the centre despite the limited resources .SRC is a thriving field research and education centre, with over 170 academic publications.
Most of infrastructure has been damaged at the centre, 1 gas cylinder, 1 generator, 2 wardrobes, 4 big tents, 1 tent deck, 8 beds, 6 sleeping bags, 4 camp chairs, 2 tables, 6 laptops and 2 cellphones and our lab. specimens. This project will help us complete the rebuilding process to get back in order with our significant projects and bring it back to the status of bringing about educational yield and contributing to savannah research and conservation.
The SRC has contributed greatly to the study of elephants, giraffe, birds, bats, small mammals and insects also focussing on some species by arrow marking birds and studying behaviours such as nesting, reproduction and many more projects. We want to continue to educate our youth on the importance and contribution towards savannah conservation.
