Craig Morris wrote an insightful feature article, “To kill a grassland forb” where he addresses the role of fire and overgrazing in the mesic grasslands. As with many parts of the world, the Karoo has been undergoing desertification and in the article “Guardians of the Karoo Rangelands”, we learn how regenerative land management is bucking this trend. Two farmers from the Eastern Cape also share how they use technology and regenerative farming to successfully manage livestock. The ARC employed a soil testing lab on wheels to assist farmers in rural areas, meanwhile, in Australia and New Zealand, farmers are participating in the “Soil Your Undies” Challenge. The state of cotton underwear after being buried in the soil for 8 weeks is used to indicate the health of the microbiome. We revisit the horrific Cape Town fire that destroyed UCT’s Plant Conservation Unit to assess the damage, miracles, causes and what we learned from it. The role of invasive alien plants in this event is also discussed. Be sure to check out the new guide on “how to best get rid of invasive alien plants”. Lastly, we pay tribute to one of the world’s greatest scientists, Bob Scholes, who passed away earlier this year (make sure to watch the video tribute by ReWild). Grassroots would like to extend our sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and students.