Risk & Vulnerability Atlas Home Page

The South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (R&VA) directly supports the access to and visualization of data dealing with the impacts of global change on human and natural environments.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), it is based on a shared platform that also hosts SAEON and SAEOS, amongst others, providing access to a large collection of scientific data and knowledge in and about South Africa, in addition to the basic Atlas data sets.

The SARVA project is currently implemented by the CSIR, with key inputs from South African institutions and research groups (see specific theme pages). In 2008, the DST adopted a Ten-Year Innovation Plan aimed at propelling the country towards a knowledge economy. The Ten-Year Plan is underpinned by five grand challenges, one of which is Science and Technology for Global Change. The South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (SARVA) has its origin in this Global Change grand challenge.

The DST is currently establishing a Bureau on Global Change Science that will include the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Africa Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), Africa Earth Observatory Network (AEON), the South African National Space Agency as well the Atlas. The Bureau will act as a high-level knowledge broker between researchers and policy-makers in parliament.