B. ASSAf Workshop Proceedings and Other Reports
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Proceedings Reports are a verbatim reflection of a live ASSAf event. It is published with consent of all speakers.
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Item Neonicotinoid Insecticides: Use and Effects in African Agriculture: A Review and Recommendations to Policymakers(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2021) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Agriculture is critically important for African societies and economies but ensuring food security for Africa’s growing population is a major challenge. One particular concern are pesticides called ‘neonicotinoids’, which render all parts of a plant toxic to all insects and contaminate the soil and water bodies. By exposing all organisms to the toxins, neonicotinoids also harm beneficial insects that provide many important ‘ecosystem services’, such as pollination, soil development, and natural pest control, which are an integral part of sustainable agriculture. Neonicotinoids have contributed to the loss of ecosystem services from pollinators and other insects in Europe and elsewhere, and several of them have been banned in the (European Union) EU and other countries due to their harmful effect on beneficial insects. Africa, with its rich biodiversity and heavy reliance on agricultural production, is one of the fastest-growing pesticide markets in the world, so protecting it from the harmful effects of neonicotinoids is vital to ensuring a sustainable agriculture that provides food security. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), in collaboration with the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) has recently completed a project exploring the use and effects of neonicotinoids in African agriculture. This project brought together experts from 17 African countries, reviewed the relevant African scientific literature, and analysed the state of knowledge on neonicotinoids and their impact on ecosystem services for agriculture and on biodiversity in Africa. The resultant report ‘Neonicotinoid insecticides: use and effects in African agriculture. A review and recommendations to policy makers’ (NASAC, 2019) has collated an unprecedented amount of information, identified gaps in scientific knowledge and research relating to neonicotinoids in Africa, and developed key recommendations from science to policy-makers to ensure the sustainability of African agriculture and thus food security. One year after the launch of the NASAC report, the purpose of this virtual event was to introduce the report, including an update on recent global scientific and African policy developments regarding neonicotinoids, and to discuss its implications with a wide range of stakeholders, with the aim of stimulating policy and research action on this important issue. The target audience and participants included South African and Southern African Development Community (SADC) policymakers, regulatory agencies, government departments, agricultural associations, extension-service providers, research institutes, international development agencies, representatives of embassies, and other interested stakeholders.Item The shale gas industry in South Africa: Toward a science action plan. 31 August – 1 September 2017, Proceedings Report(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2017) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The objective of the conference was to showcase critical national reports on shale gas in South Africa; analyse the regulatory environment; and consolidate common findings and recommendations and provide a platform for debate. The conference was attended by 126 key stakeholders from government, industry and academia. African and international delegates also attend the conference. Among the 126 delegates there were 12 speakers and 9 panellists. The programme was divided into 7 sessions with the last session comprising 2 roundtable discussions. The opening address was delivered by Dr Phil Mjwara, Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology. Further notable representations were made by Mr Jacob Moatshe, Acting Deputy Director-General of Mineral Policy and Promotion at the Department of Mineral Resources (representing the Chair of the governmental Hydraulic Fracturing Monitoring Committee, Advocate Thabo Mokoena (DG of the DMR)), and Ms Busisiwe Khumalo, General Manager at the Eastern Cape office of the Premier.Item Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The purpose of the conference was to explore various topics under the theme of Science Advice. These included: science advice ecosystems; science advice in times of disasters/emergencies; science advice in the international arena; country readiness for science advice; and, the interplay between science advice, politics and the media. The contributors and panticipants of the conference included distinguished scholars, representatives of national academies, experts and science advisors from most of the IAP member countries.Item Science Business Society Dialogue Conference: Strengthening the Science Business Society Dialogue in the SADC Region(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The conference explored various topics in the area of Science-Business Dialogue. These included: early stakeholder involvement; innovative funding options; international perspectives on science-business linkages; intellectual popery rights and technology transfer; and youth and gender perspective on science-business dialogue and innovation. The conference was attended by delegates representing science, business and policymakers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and also from other African countries and Europe.Item Proceedings report Changing patterns of Non-Communicable Diseases(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The theme of this conference was a superb example of the various activities in which the academies had been involved. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constituted one of the most critical set of health challenges that faced the global community. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs constituted some 60% of all mortality at the present time, and more worrying was the upward trend. It was clear that there was urgent work to be done in this area. The timing and appropriateness of the conference theme were of unquestionable pertinence. NCDs provided a set of challenges that could not be successfully addressed through the isolated actions of various institutions and academies, but required collective wisdom, in this case of the group of medical academies.Item Proceedings Report: Technological Innovations for a Low Carbon Society Conference(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The challenge of finding sustainable, low carbon solutions to a global problem, such as climate change, is pertinent for both Germany and South Africa, notwithstanding their different developmental stages and different socio-economic and political contexts. Themes addressed included the energy-water-food nexus for resilient societies; low cost, low carbon innovations for poverty alleviation; smart city innovations; new and emerging technologies, such as carbon capture and storage and The Beauti-fuel Project aimed at converting biomass to liquid fuel, and the potential for solar power in South Africa. It was noted that South Africa can be viewed as a ‘playground’ for finding innovative low carbon solutions due to the untapped wind and solar energy resources and the excellent research capability.Item 7th Annual South African Young Scientists' Conference 2016, Human Rights(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This report stems from proceedings from the 7th Annual Young Scientists’ Conference held on 6 to 7, October 2016 where human rights in general, and the rights of scientists in particular, were addressed by some 80 young and early career researchers. The conference was hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering (GenderInSITE), the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World South Africa National Chapter (OWSD-SANC) and the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR). Human rights are fundamental rights of all human beings regardless of nationality, sex, race, religion, language or any other status. In South Africa, the Bill of Rights forms the cornerstone of democracy. The Bill of Rights enshrines the rights of all people in South Africa and affirms the democratic values and principles of human dignity, equality and freedom. In order to achieve these values in South Africa and in the African continent in general, citizens have to promote and respect the culture of human rights. In addition, they should promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights. This report articulates the written, oral and poster presentations at the conference which revolved around four sub-themes, namely Human Rights in Africa: Context and Universality, Social and Scientific Dimensions of Human Sexual Diversity, Redress of Colonial Heritage in Promoting Human Rights in Africa, and the Relationship between Science and Human Rights in Africa.Item Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice, 28 February - 1 March 2016, Hermanus, South Africa(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Welcome Remarks: Prof Daya Reddy - Keynote Speaker: Prof Sir Peter Gluckman - Keynote Speaker: Prof Jos van der Meer - Topic 1 – Science Advice Ecosystem - Dr Flavia Schlegel - Prof Howard Alper - Dr Khotso Mokhele - Prof Thomas Zeltner - Dr Tolu Oni - Topic 2 – Science Advice in Times of Disasters/ Emergencies - Prof Oyewale Tomori - Prof Coleen Vogel - Prof Ram Babu Singh - Prof Bernard Slippers - Prof Virginia Murray - Topic 3 – Science Advice in the International Arena with a Special Focus on Synthetic Biology - Prof Francisco Gonzalo Bolivar-Zapata - Prof Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker - Prof Rees Kassen - Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice - Prof Keymanthri Moodley - Country Readiness for Science Advice - Dr Orakanoke Phanraksa - Prof Mahouton Norbert Hounkonnou - Prof Kurt Lambeck - Dr Margaret Hamburg - Prof Jacqueline McGlade - Topic 5 – Interplay between Science Advice, Politics and the Media - Ms Linda Nordling - Mr David Mair - Prof Charles Weijer - Prof Sameh Soror - Prof Bruce Alberts - Discussion - Closing: Prof Daya Reddy and Prof Jörg Hacker