The National Research Foundation (NRF) has published NRF Insights, Volume 2: 2024, titled Analysis of Research Output Supported or Performed by the NRF.
NRF Insights is a series of publications that monitor and assess the state of research and research funding in South Africa, with a focus on the NRF and its interventions. It provides information about the organisation’s activities and achievements, as well as challenges and progress within the research enterprise. This edition presents an analysis of research output supported or performed by the NRF.
In this edition, NRF Insights analyses:
- Web of Science (WoS) research publications produced by NRF-funded researchers, compared to all South African and global WoS research publications.
- The alignment of NRF-funded and South African research with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Selected research publications from the NRF’s National Research Facilities.
NRF-SAIAB, as one of the NRF’s National Research Facilities, is profiled in the report as follows (pages 6 & 7):
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB)
Steady publication output has continued at NRF-SAIAB, reaching 132 publications in 2023, a 25% increase since 2019. Performance is high when normalised for size and benchmarked against the National System of Innovation (NSI) showing the value of strong infrastructure, stable funding, bursaries, and a productive full-time research team supported by postdoctoral researchers and collaborative research partnerships.
A number of notable NRF-SAIAB book publications appeared in the period under review. The Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean (CFWIO), a multi-authored, illustrated, five-volume publication on fish diversity, and Fish & Fisheries in Estuaries – A Global Perspective, were both published in 2022. The former is an invaluable tool for identifying fish species inhabiting the coastal waters of the Western Indian Ocean, spanning from the Red Sea to Cape Point, and from Kanyakumari to St Paul and Amsterdam Islands. It includes detailed keys, diagnoses, species descriptions, and illustrations. Published in 2019, Fishes of Southern African Estuaries: From Species to Systems is the culmination of 40 years of Professor Alan Whitfield’s (NRF-SAIAB Chief Scientist Emeritus) dedicated research and more than a century’s work by fish scientists who worked on various Southern African estuaries. Another top achievement was the publication of Knysna Estuary – Jewel of the Garden Route, which introduces readers to the multifaceted nature of the Knysna Estuary and how the biotic and abiotic components function together as a system.
NRF-SAIAB balances publications in journals (international and national) with technical briefs to support policy development. Outputs range from the foundational taxonomic disciplines, to ecological, functional, pollution, and climate change themes, linking knowledge with management, policy, and conservation. NRF-SAIAB thereby provides vital national scientific leadership and expertise in aquatic biodiversity to inform responses to issues arising from the increasing pressures of human population growth and infrastructure development. Building on the foundations developed from interdependent research areas, i.e. systematics and genetics, aquatic biodiversity and ecology, and applied conservation biology, NRF-SAIAB has become aligned with more demand-driven, collaborative research that supports national and international imperatives; including strategic targets of the National Development Plan (NDP), Marine and Antarctic Research Strategy (MARS), Phakisa Programme and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). NRF-SAIAB works with partners to inform the ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable use of fisheries resources through surveys and data collection. In 2023, the Freshwater Research Unit completed a large joint research contract project that generated the most comprehensive dataset to date on the distribution of Mozambique and Nile tilapia in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal provinces. This research is fundamental for informing inland fisheries and aquaculture development to address the triple challenges of food and nutrition insecurity, unemployment and equitable access to aquatic resources in the country.
We invite you to read the full publication on the NRF website (https://www.nrf.ac.za/information-portal/nrf-insights/).