The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), based at the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State, South Africa, continues to grow in research strength and reach. While a core focus on the sustainable development of the Maloti–Drakensberg will be perennial, the ARU is leading the way in growing a robust community of practice for transdisciplinary research on southern African mountains. Combined with a vision for strong science, policy, and action, this is being achieved through exponential growth of partnerships—local, regional, and global—to tackle relevant issues, in particular wicked problems that seemingly defy achievement of the sustainable development goals. An important component in growing this community of practice is the development of our staff and students at Qwaqwa: for instance, in 2018–2019, US$ 270,000 was invested in Qwaqwa research projects; simultaneously, US$ 500,000 was actively sourced by Qwaqwa academics to supplement these internal ARU funds. The investment and effort are showing increasing return in terms of personal academic development and increased quality and quantity of research outputs. Given that the ARU is still a young research group (5 years old), this exponential growth is encouraging for both science and mountains in Africa.

中文翻译：

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非洲山地研究单位：达到新的高度

Afromontane Research Unit (ARU) 位于南非自由州大学 Qwaqwa 校区，其研究实力和影响范围不断扩大。虽然对 Maloti-Drakensberg 可持续发展的核心关注将是常年，但 ARU 正在引领发展强大的实践社区，以进行南部非洲山区的跨学科研究。结合强有力的科学、政策和行动的愿景，这是通过地方、区域和全球伙伴关系的指数增长来实现的，以解决相关问题，特别是看似阻碍实现可持续发展目标的棘手问题。发展这个实践社区的一个重要组成部分是我们在 Qwaqwa 的员工和学生的发展：例如，2018-2019 年，270 美元，000投入Qwaqwa研究项目；同时，Qwaqwa 学者积极筹集了 500,000 美元，以补充这些内部 ARU 资金。在个人学术发展和研究成果质量和数量的提高方面，投资和努力正在显示出越来越多的回报。鉴于 ARU 仍然是一个年轻的研究小组（5 岁），这种指数增长对非洲的科学和山区来说都是令人鼓舞的。