60 Years: Charting the past, shaping the future of rangeland ecology
For six decades, the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA) has been at the forefront of advancing rangeland ecology and pasture management.
African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2025, 42 (1) is a special issue commemorating the GSSA’s 60th anniversary by bringing together a collection of papers reflecting on the evolution of rangeland science in the region, highlighting key trends, challenges, and future directions.
These contributions illustrate the broadening scope of rangeland research, moving beyond a singular focus on forage production to embrace the multifunctional nature of these critical ecosystems.
The evolution of the Society over time reveals a move away from ‘the science and technique of grassland production’ to ‘the study and sustainable management of rangelands and pastures’, incorporation of associated ecological and agroecological scientific disciplines, as well as an expansion from southern Africa to Africa.
This espouses an outward, collaborative and inclusive vision, and is reflected in the names of the various versions of the Society’s official journal, being the main medium of collecting and disseminating knowledge and information. The publication was initiated at the inception of the Society in 1966 as the Proceedings of the Annual Congresses of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa, and continued in this form until 1983. In 1984, the publication morphed into the Journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa, gaining status and prestige as a fully-fledged journal. In 1993, the Journal name was changed to its current form, the African Journal of Range and Forage Science.
This progression reflects both the expansion of scope beyond southern Africa and the broader conceptualisation of rangeland systems. As Morris notes, the term ‘rangeland’ gradually replaced ‘veld’ in the Journal, particularly after South Africa’s democratic transition in 1994, reflecting increased international engagement.
Read the papers that illustrate the broadening scope of rangeland research and the development of the journal at no cost until the end of June here.