Envision Science Animation: Soil Health and Resilience of African Savanna Grasslands

This animated video explains the research into soil health and resilience in sub-Saharan African grasslands, exploring how the living ecosystems beneath our feet support plant growth, food security, and wildlife and what happens when they break down.

Fiona Pearce, a researcher at Lancaster University as part of the Envision PhD programme, is investigating how plant diversity affects soil health in African savanna grasslands, and whether legumes in particular could play a role in restoring degraded land and building resilience to drought.

animation Type

Research and Science Communication

Author: Mair Perkins

Clients

Envision Lancaster University

Credits & Associates

  • Script written by Fiona Pearce and Mair Perkins
  • Direction by Fiona Pearce
  • Style and storyboard design by Mair Perkins
  • Illustration by Mair Perkins
  • Animation by Mair Perkins
  • Voiceover sourced and edited by Ben Haynes
  • Music from Adobe Stock

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This animation was commissioned to communicate Fiona's research to a broad audience, making the science of soil biology, nutrient cycling, and grassland ecology accessible without requiring prior knowledge of ecology or agriculture. It is intended for use in public engagement, educational, and conference settings, including with local land managers and communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

This is one of a series of animations produced for Envision PhD researchers. Envision runs a competition in which early-career researchers submit a brief for an animated film; selected winners have their research brought to life through professional animation.

Script & style concept

We collaborated Fiona to write a 2.5 minute script for the animation based on the competition entry that explained her research and pitched the storyline concept. A style concept was created using colours inspired by the environment of sub-Saharan Africa in a painterly, textured style that resembled oil pastels to give an idea of how the animation would look.

Style concept

Sketched storyboards

A storyboard was sketched out based on the script in Photoshop then uploaded to Boords. The storyboard images were then put into a video sequence with a draft voiceover recording so we could test the timings and ensure the script and images made sense when played together.

At this point we made some script and image revisions before moving to the next stage.

Sketched storyboards

Illustrated storyboards

Once the sketched storyboards were signed off, the storyboards were illustrated in the style design.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop with a mix of digital painting and photo collage techniques for textures.

Some revisions were made before moving onto the next production phase.

Illustrated storyboard

Animation

The animation phase started by preparing all the illustrations for animation. This involved separating artwork out onto layers and naming them.

The illustrated storyboard files were imported into Adobe After Effects then animated.

A professional voice over artist recorded the script then the audio track was mixed and edited so it could be animated in time to.

Animation production in After Effects

Research Insights

Grasslands in sub-Saharan Africa support livestock grazing, food security, and some of the world's most iconic wildlife. But many of these grasslands and the communities that depend on them are under growing pressure from land use change and increasingly severe drought. When plant cover is lost, soils become exposed and degraded, and the land's ability to sustain life diminishes rapidly.

Healthy soils are far more than dirt. They are complex living ecosystems, home to bacteria, fungi, termites, earthworms, and other organisms that recycle nutrients and energy from decaying plant material and animal manure, supplying them back to plants. Soil organisms and plant roots also bind soil particles together, creating a structure that can store water, retain nutrients, and resist erosion. When this structure breaks down, biological activity and fertility decline, making grasslands less productive and more vulnerable to drought.

Fiona's research, carried out in collaboration with local land managers, is investigating how plant diversity can benefit soil health. By growing different plant mixes and measuring the effects on soil fertility, biology, and structure, the research is building an evidence base for practical restoration strategies. A particular focus is legumes: plants that convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms that other plants can use, and which are frequently lost from heavily grazed grasslands. Early results suggest that legumes can boost the growth of neighbouring grasses and may improve drought resilience, pointing to their potential value in re-seeding projects that have traditionally focused on grasses alone.

Field surveys complement the experimental work, helping researchers better understand the indicators of soil degradation and the effects of different grazing regimes on soil and vegetation. Together, these studies are developing a clearer picture of how plant diversity supports soil health and grassland recovery and providing the knowledge needed to help African grasslands remain healthy, productive, and resilient in the face of increasing environmental pressure.

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