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The Natural Science Collections Facility is a network of South African institutions holding natural science collections, established as part of the Department of Science & Technology’s Research Infrastructure Roadmap and co-ordinated by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Participating institutions are committed to collaborating to achieve the following objectives:
Collections secured and accessible physically and virtually for research
Data from specimens in collections accessible and used for managing collections, research and decision-making
Research on collections and associated data addresses issues of national and global relevance
Collections and associated research provide services to identify natural science specimens for a range of stakeholders including in the agriculture, health, environmental management and academic sectors
Latest News
Emerging Leaders Countdown Begins! with Ieslaahia isaacae
Species/Emerger DescriptionHabitat:Endemic to the Compton Herbarium, nestled in the biodiversity-rich landscapes of Cape Town. Often found thriving in friendly, supportive environments where curiosity and collaboration flourish. Morphology & Distinguishing...
A New Chapter: UNIZULU Herbarium Finds a New Home
In 2024, the Natural Science Collections Facility (NSCF) imaging team visited the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) Herbarium to image specimens as part of its broader Herbarium Specimen Imaging Project and realised that the collection was in urgent need of...
Meet Jabulile Malindi | Emerging Leaders Workshop Participant Profile
Quiet Impact, Deep Roots Jabulile Malindi, Biodiversity Data Technician at the Natural Science Collections Facility (NSCF), is living proof that leadership doesn’t always begin with a title; it begins with purpose. Armed with a BSc (Hons) in Plant Biotechnology and...
New species described from South African collections
New tanaidacean described
Sinelobus stromatoliticus sp. nov., a tanaidacean (small shrimp-like animal) living within laminated stromatolites along the South African coastline, has been described. A revised key to all the species currently recognised within this genus is also provided. The type...
New bristle worm described from South Africa
A new species of polychaete (bristle worm), Rhynchospio mzansi, was recently described from the south coast of South Africa. The specimens were collected from sediment within the effluent outflow from an abalone farm bear Gansbaai, South Africa. The name of the new...
New Discovery: First African fossils of Devonian tetrapods
The first African Devonian tetrapods were discovered by Dr Robert Gess of the Albany Museum and described in June 2018 in Science by him and Per Ahlberg of Uppsala University in Sweden.
The two new species, named Tutusius and Umzantsia, are Africa’s earliest known four-legged vertebrates by a remarkable 70 million years.
Iconic specimens
Oldest specimen in the National Herbarium
The oldest preserved plant specimen in the National Herbarium, Pretoria, is Erica mammosa.
The coelacanth, thought to have gone extinct about 65 million years ago
The coelacanth was known from fossils dating from about 360 years ago.
Use of Collections
Shale Gas Exploration SEA
Barcode of Wildlife Project
Red List Assessments
Virtual Museum
The NSCF aims to increase the accessibility and use of natural science collections for research and also to secure collections.
One mechanism of achieving both these objectives is to establish a “virtual museum” which will take the form of detailed images of important specimens such as types, and to also provide digital access to documents such as historical field notes, old catalogue books and accession registers and other documents related to the collections. Over the next two years we will initiate a project to digitise specimens and important documents and to make these available online. We also aim to show some of the collection store rooms online to provide a sense of the scope and scale of these for the public who rarely have the chance to see these hidden treasures.
