Right in the core of South Africa’s driest province where climate change paints the landscape with scorching temperatures and bone-dry atmosphere that makes even the air feel thirsty, emerges the Centre for Global Change (CGC) at Sol Plaatje University (SPU) and it serves as a critical player in the fight for sustainable futures.
Formerly known as the Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre, the CGC was officially relaunched under its new identity during a black-tie event that was held on the 4th of September 2024. The black-tie event marked a renewed and expanded mandate grounded in community-led research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based solutions tailored to the prevailing conditions of the province.
Prof. Odireleng Martin Ntwaeaborwa (top left), Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Science at SPU; Dr Doug Harebottle (top right), Director of Centre for Global Change at SPU; Dr Vanessa Agbedahin, Manager: Staff Research Enhancement and Support, Research Office at SPU (bottom left); Professor Andrew Crouch, Vice-Chancellor at SPU, Dr Siviwe Malongweni, Research Scientist for the Centre for Global Change, and Professor Paul Green, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching & Learning (bottom right), at the CGC relaunch black tie event.
Bridging the gap between science and society
Established in September 2021 under the Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI) Global Change Research Plan, the CGC has distinguished itself by connecting academic excellence with real-world impact. Based in the dry Northern Cape, it serves as a living laboratory, where climate resilience is not some distant goal but an urgent necessity.
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The Centre’s work is critically important in under-resourced communities, where environmental shocks are often intensified by a combination of social and economic vulnerabilities. Through its initiatives, the Centre provides powerful examples of applied science that directly address the complex sustainability challenges facing these regions.
Among its notable projects are “Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Management for Large-Scale Impact in the Grazing Lands of the Northern Cape,” which promotes effective land use practices; “Climate Variability and Pollen Occurrence in Arid Zones of the Northern Cape: Long-Term Implications for Human Health,” which explores the intersection of environmental change and public health; and “Socially Inclusive Approaches Towards Sustainable Agro-Ecological Landscape Management and Resilient Agricultural Systems: A Catchment Approach in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, and Northern Cape Provinces,” which focuses on building resilience through community-based, inclusive land management strategies.
Site visits to one of the project sites under the CGC including borehole inspections (left), drone assessments to evaluate Prosopis cover and stand structure using 3D models (centre), and a visit to the National Lotteries Commission, which utilizes materials from invasive Prosopis alien species to produce furniture and construct sustainable homes for people with disabilities (right).
Flagship projects
One of the Centre’s key focus areas include combating the spread of Prosopis, an invasive alien plant that poses serious threats to both water resources and biodiversity within the Northern Cape. Through ecological monitoring, participatory mapping, and the development of local removal strategies, the CGC is working together with the local community, municipality, and land users to restore balance to affected landscapes.
In tandem with this, the Centre supports social inclusive approaches towards global sustainability to enhance food security, natural resources conservation, ecosystem-based land restoration, and human health in arid regions. Another vital stream of the CGC’s work is its contribution to capacity building, with support for postgraduate training, skills development, and youth-focused sustainability education. The Centre also hosts science-to-policy dialogues, ensuring that research insights reach decision-makers at municipal, provincial and national levels.
Community Training on “Demonstrating a Basic Understanding of Agricultural Production Systems” (SAQA Unit Standard 12618), carried out at Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality, 24-28 March 2025.
A vision for impact
The CGC is looking to strengthen its influence across several fronts. Plans are underway to investigate Carbon Flux Dynamics under different land management regimes and their implications for Climate Change Mitigation Strategies. This investigation will allow land stewards to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into future resilience planning.
The Centre’s guiding ethos is simple but powerful: science must serve the people and the planet. In an age of intensifying global change, it is not enough to watch environmental challenges unfold from afar. The CGC believes in co-creating solutions on the ground, with communities, for communities!
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The future of the Centre for Global Change: Laying the groundwork towards a resilient planet
As South Africa accelerates its shift toward a just and climate-resilient society, the CGC stands as a beacon of how universities can lead this transformation. Whether it’s through hands-on restoration, youth empowerment, or the advancement of climate science, CGC is demonstrating that sustainable futures begin with action, right where the challenges are most urgent.
