The importance of soil biodiversity at the International Colloquium of Soil Zoology in Cape Town

Dr Charlene Janion-Scheepers from the University of Cape Town and Dr Shane Murray, Genomics Coordinator at DIPLOMICS, were front and centre at the first-ever International Colloquium of Soil Zoology (ICSZ) held on African soil. This event marks a significant step forward in the global understanding of soil biodiversity.

Dr Murray highlighted the ongoing work with Oxford Nanopore Technologies as part of the 1KSA initiative, which aims to sequence 1,000 biodiversity genomes in South Africa over the next three years. This work is crucial for soil health, which in turn is essential for food security—a topic at the heart of the ICSZ discussions.

We’re excited about the new collaborations and the potential nominations to the 1KSA initiative that this event has sparked!

#SoilBiodiversity #ICSZ #1KSA #Genomics #ONT #DIPLOMICS #SustainableFuture