Foden Named Inaugural Oppenheimer Conservation Chair

Stellenbosch University researcher Prof Wendy Foden will lead a five-year programme on protecting desert succulents in the Richtersveld.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Botany

Quiver trees with thick succulent stems stand on a rocky arid slope under a clear sky, with a distant ridge in warm late-afternoon light. — Stellenbosch University's Prof Wendy Foden has been named the inaugural Oppenheimer Research Chair in Conservation in a Changing Climate, leading a five-year study of desert succulents in the Richtersveld. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Prof Wendy Foden, a climate change specialist at SA National Parks, was awarded the inaugural Oppenheimer Research Chair in Conservation in a Changing Climate. The chair anchors a five-year research programme on desert succulents in the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape.

Why it matters

The programme examines how climate change affects desert plant species such as quiver trees and halfmens, informing how South Africa protects its biodiversity. The findings are intended to guide conservation efforts in South Africa and elsewhere.

The research programme runs for five years and focuses on desert succulents in the Richtersveld. The source does not provide measured species population figures or results from the planned interventions.

The players

Wendy Foden

Prof Wendy Foden is a climate change specialist at SA National Parks who chairs the IUCN Species Survival Commission Climate Change Specialist Group.

SA National Parks (SANParks)

SA National Parks is the South African government agency responsible for managing the country's national parks and protected areas.

The details

The chair was established by the Benjamin Raymond Oppenheimer Trust through Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation. Foden's team will work with SANParks scientists and protected area managers to assess interventions such as assisted translocation, which involves moving species to other areas.

The five-year research programme led by Foden runs from the time of the award.

Big Picture

Foden chairs the IUCN Species Survival Commission Climate Change Specialist Group, placing this South African programme within an international effort to assess how climate change threatens species. The programme is collaborating with the University of Cambridge's Conservation Evidence group.

The programme aims to give conservationists better tools to protect biodiversity and to strengthen South Africa's research capacity. Its findings may shape how protected areas are managed as climate conditions change.

The takeaway

Protecting desert plants depends on understanding how climate change alters their habitats. The Richtersveld programme shows how targeted research can give managers practical options for keeping vulnerable species viable.