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Our World at Risk
Marine Research Institute
The Marine Research (Ma-Re) Institute, one of UCT’s
signature themes, serves as an umbrella body to
stimulate and co-ordinate marine research across all
faculties and departments involved in research into the
salty waters around Southern Africa. It also serves as a
window between the outside world and UCT for marine
research and marine contracts. It hosts the Marine
Remote Sensing Unit and the Research Dive Unit.
The Ma-Re Institute has two SARChI Chairs associated
with it, the Chair in Marine Ecology & Fisheries, and
the Chair in Modelling of the Coupled Ocean-Land-
Atmosphere (phenomena related to climate). It has
been instrumental in getting the Applied Centre for
Climate and Earth System Science (ACCESS) and
the Nansen-Tutu Centre for Marine Environmental
Research off the ground. Both the Marine Ecology &
Fisheries Chair and the Ma-Re flagship research project
BASICS (Benguela and Agulhas Systems supporting
Interdisciplinary Climate-change Science) are inter-
disciplinary programmes that aim to tackle aspects of
climate-change research and an ecosystem approach
to fisheries.
Ma-Re co-ordinates and convenes a taught master’s
degree in Applied Marine Science (by coursework
and dissertation), runs a weekly seminar series,
and has initiated bilateral research and teaching
exchange agreements with Norwegian, French,
British, and other European Union institutions,
as well as American ones. It has also played an
important role in promoting marine research in the
South African Global Change Grand Challenge and
in the marine component of the India-Brazil-South
Africa (IBSA-Ocean) trilateral agreement on science
and technology.
Ma-Re is active in outreach to the public through
interactive sessions at schools, the Two Oceans
Aquarium and Science Centres. Ma-Re also
participates in the national Science Festival (Scifest),
and in developing curriculum-relevant educational
resources concerning the role of the oceans in
climate change.
Director: Professor C Moloney
E-mail: ma-re@uct.ac.za
Web: http://www.ma-re.uct.ac.za
African Climate and
Development Initiative
The African Climate and Development Initiative
(ACDI) co-ordinates exciting inter-disciplinary
research and training on the twin issues of climate
change and sustainable development. ACDI brings
together natural scientists, engineers, social
scientists, lawyers, economists, and urban planners,
among others, from UCT and beyond, to provide an
African perspective, grounded in strong science,
addressing issues relating to climate variability
and global change affecting the African continent.
It actively creates opportunities for African
researchers and young scholars to contribute their
own perspectives to these issues.
Through the establishment of strong partnerships
throughout Africa, ACDI contributes towards
developing African leaders of the future who have
an intimate understanding of the physical and
human needs of Africa, and who will contribute to
address this all-important issue facing mankind.
Director: Professor M New
E-mail: mark.new@acdi.uct.ac.za
Web: http://www.acdi.uct.ac.za/
Signature Themes
associated with this theme
Photo of a sea snail taken by Ma-Re student Grea
Wessels while diving.