Skukuza Carbon Ibandla 2026
South Africa
As part of efforts to build an open and inclusive carbon research community in Southern African grassy systems, the Wilder Rangelands research team is facilitating a two-day crossover workshop, the Skukuza Carbon Ibandla, ahead of the Savanna Science Networking Meeting 2026.
The aim of the workshop is to share perspectives toward gaining a collective understanding of the opportunities and challenges surrounding soil organic carbon (SOC) in southern African wilder land use scenarios.
Theme of the Skukuza Carbon Ibandla
The theme for the workshop is:
Contextualising the effects of wilder land use scenarios on SOC dynamics in savannas and grasslands
What does science say about current realities, opportunities for implementation strategies, and future perspectives for wilder grazing scenarios in southern African grassy systems?
Workshop Dates: Friday 27 – Saturday 28 February 2026
Venue: Skukuza Science Leadership Initiative (SSLI) Campus
Accommodation available from: Thursday 26th Feb check-in – Sunday 1st March check-out
In its current format, the workshop plans to focus on the science around the influence of wilder, more biodiverse, land use scenarios on SOC sequestration potential and consequences for incentivisation in southern African grassy systems. It will review existing research and how it can inform land-use policy and the practical implementation of that knowledge to advance more biodiverse, resilient, and ecologically beneficial ecosystems.
We invite you to share a brief overview of your current research and future project directions that may be relevant to the workshop theme. Through these short presentations and interactive discussions, we will collectively look at:
- The role of herbivorous communities and their management in SOC dynamics and their links to biodiversity in South African grassy systems.
- Group understanding of ongoing peer research, possible synergies and knowledge gaps.
- What our combined science may say about the potential of wildlife-inclusive carbon markets and VCSs
Planned Outputs
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Joint paper: synthesis of our joint findings
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A knowledge-gap inventory
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Identify collaborative opportunities across participants’ work
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Establish open and transparent carbon data sharing environments
Please see draft programme below.
The event is relevant to the wildlife economy because it plans to consider wildlife-inclusive carbon markets and develop new rangeland-use models that mitigate climate-change impacts, restore and preserve biodiversity, and improve ecosystem functioning to support nature-based livelihoods.
AWEI will be represented by AWEI Research Associate and an expert in the field, Dr Matthew Child.
