The BioSCape team, a biodiversity survey of South Africa’s Cape region, has received the NASA Group Achievement Award from the US space agency. Among the more than 150 scientists honoured is Professor Elhadi Adam of the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
BioSCape was NASA’s first research campaign to use aircraft and fieldwork specifically to study biodiversity. It focused on the Greater Cape Floristic Region, one of the planet’s richest biodiversity hotspots, with many species found nowhere else.
Four specialised instruments on board two NASA aircraft gathered data on vegetation, water and other environmental features, which were combined with ground measurements. It was the first time NASA had brought these four instruments together in a single campaign. The team includes scientists from more than 40 universities, government bodies and non-governmental organisations.
The results are expected to help the South African National Biodiversity Institute, CapeNature and South African National Parks identify areas in need of protection. The data will also guide future NASA satellite missions that monitor Earth’s environment.
