Landmark Grassland Congress Held in Hilton

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The Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA) held its 60^th Congress in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal and online. This milestone celebrated the Society, which was founded in 1966 by staff of the then University of Natal, and marked a return to the city where its first Congress was held.

The GSSA aims to advance rangeland ecology and pasture management in Africa, achieving this by publishing high-quality research in its African Journal of Range and Forage Science, hosting the annual Congress, translating science into policy and practice, and developing human capacity.

Several UKZN staff and students were part of the local organising committee, which was chaired by Professor Kevin Kirkman.

The Congress opened with a publishing workshop facilitated by Ms Rowena Gordon, Senior Managing Editor at the British Ecological Society, and Mr Errol Douwes from eThekwini Municipality. Some delegates also visited the world-famous grassland fire and nutrient addition experiments at UKZN’s Ukulinga Research Farm, now in their 75th year.

Mayor of the uMngeni Municipality, Councillor Chris Pappas, officially opened the proceedings and thanked the GSSA for choosing to host the event in this region, highlighting its rich and complex biodiversity and governance.

“We are deeply reliant on the ecosystems you are going to discuss today and over the next few days, and we are living in times when science and local governments must work hand in hand, because the problems that we face, whether it is climate shocks, invasive species, water scarcity, or land degradation can’t be solved by government alone. And they also can’t be solved by science alone,” said Pappas.

In his presidential address, UKZN’s Dr Ntuthuko Mkhize said, “We gather not only to share science but also to reflect, to renew, and to recommit ourselves to the vision and values that have held us together for six decades.”

He emphasised the Society’s sense of purpose, its growing vision of sustainable rangeland management for food security, how it had adapted to a changing South Africa, and its strengths that would ensure its sustainability.

Professor Tim O’Connor presented the opening keynote address that covered the sustainability of the GSSA and how to take an ecosystem-level systems approach to rangeland systems for production and biodiversity. He outlined the purpose of the GSSA’s journal in particular as being to showcase good, hard, honest work on local issues.

A keynote address from Professor Ian Scoones of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex described competing narratives for livestock development and policy, drawing attention to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026.

Mrs Lynne Trollope delivered a keynote presentation covering 58 years of research on fire in African grasslands and savannas. UKZN’s disciplines of grassland science, geography and environmental science, and hydrology featured in various oral and poster presentations.

The Congress sessions were themed around rangeland ecology and management, communal rangelands, biodiversity and conservation, planted pastures and feeding ecology, climate change and carbon, restoration and rehabilitation, invasive species, water catchments, and fire ecology.

At the Society’s Annual General Meeting during the Congress, UKZN’s Dr Michelle Tedder was confirmed as the incoming President of the Society, taking over from Mkhize, while Dr Sindiso Chamane-Nkuna was announced as the incoming Vice-President.

The gala dinner that closed the Congress featured an awards ceremony where several UKZN staff, students and alumni were recognised for their contributions to the field.

Professor Kevin Kirkman received the Prestige Award, which is only conferred when there is a deserving candidate and was last presented five years ago. This honour recognises a scientist whose work has made a notable impact on range and forage science and/or practice.

Alumni Dr Naledi Zama and Dr Lindokuhle Dlamini received the awards for best platform presentation and young grassland scientist, respectively, PhD candidate Mr Roy Caister was awarded for best research proposal poster.

The award for the best paper published in the African Journal of Range & Forage Science in 2024 was presented to Dr Robyn Nicolay, along with co-authors Kirkman, Tedder and Mkhize.

Following the-Congress, a workshop on nature-based solutions (NbS) in rangeland management was hosted by staff from UKZN and the IDS staff. The session explored the NbS experiences and ideas related to their collaboration on the Resilient and Equitable Nature-based Pathways in Southern African Rangelands project.

Words and photograph: Christine Cuénod