Karoo Research Centre

The Karoo Research Centre is a collaboration between the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy and the Biodiversity and Development Institute (BDI). The Karoo Research Centre is based at New Holme, the main accommodation lodge in the conservancy, located in the Northern Cape Province between Hanover and Colesberg and 8 km off the N1.

In contrast to atlas projects such as the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) and the butterfly atlas (LepiMAP) which focus on patterns at a broad scale, our initial objective for the Karoo Research Centre is fine-scale biodiversity monitoring.

We launched the Karoo Research Centre at the beginning of February 2022 and are currently developing the fieldwork protocols that will serve as the basis of our research. We aim to create protocols with enough structure to deliver critical insights into changes in Karoo biodiversity, but which also remain straightforward and accessible for implementation by citizen scientists throughout the Karoo.

By good fortune, we are starting our monitoring at a peak in seasonal wetness in the Karoo. The Khoisan Karoo Conservancy has already received its normal average rainfall, the Seekoei River is flowing strongly, and the New Holme Dam has been overflowing for weeks; this region is enjoying more water than it has in decades.

Once we have obtained sufficient results to establish our credentials, the Karoo Research Centre will receive a formal launch. In the meantime, come and spend a night or two here, and experience the excitement of establishing a new initiative for yourself! We are almost exactly halfway between Gauteng and Cape Town.

To follow updates and news on the Karoo Research Centre, and all our other awesome projects, be sure to follow the BDI on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.