A lot more fundamental work needs to be carried out by South Africa’s government before shale gas exploration and development, together with hydraulic fracturing, should be allowed in the semi-arid Karoo region, according to a report commissioned by the counttry’s Department of Science & Technology.

The study was launched in April 2014 and it was carried out by the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAF) and the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE).