The African Mountain Research Foundation (AMRF) is a UK-registered charity working to strengthen knowledge and protection of southern Africa’s mountain systems. Established in 2020, AMRF focuses on some of the region’s most under-observed high-elevation landscapes, where limited climate data makes it harder for scientists, governments and communities to understand and respond to environmental change.

AMRF installs and maintains rugged, solar-powered automatic weather stations across mountain regions in Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Its growing network records key hydro-meteorological data, including air temperature, rainfall, wind speed and direction, humidity, atmospheric pressure and evaporation. This information is uploaded to an open-access portal, where current and historical data can be downloaded by researchers, policymakers, meteorological agencies, conservation organisations and others who need reliable observed data from mountain environments.

Alongside its weather-station network, AMRF supports mountain research infrastructure, including research centres in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains of South Africa and on Mount Mulanje in Malawi. These facilities give scientists a base for high-altitude fieldwork, ecological monitoring and long-term climate and biodiversity research.

Through open data, partnerships and practical research support, AMRF helps close a critical evidence gap in southern Africa’s mountains: landscapes that are vital for biodiversity, water security, climate resilience and the communities that depend on them.

Explore our open data here: https://africanmountainresearch.com/the-solutions/our-data/