Improving Governance and Economics of Protected Areas

Project title: Improving Governance and Economics of Protected Areas, Ecosystem Services and Poverty Eradication through Higher Education Institution Capacity Building and Transdisciplinary Research

Background

Large areas of Southern Africa are locked in a vicious cycle of rural poverty and environmental degradation. Weak land and resource governance allows the resources on which poor people rely to be extracted at the expense of local livelihoods and environmental sustainability, leading to rural poverty, deforestation, land degradation, and illegal trade in wildlife.

However, Southern Africa is also a global leader in wildlife policy reform and community-based natural resource management, and has demonstrated that bold policy reform, and especially the devolution of rights to local communities, can break this cycle. To develop and implement such reforms, there is a need for improved higher education and research on these issues to improve evidence-based governance systems and increase the number of qualified professionals to both manage and analyse the reforms.

South-South capacity development in higher education and research on natural resource management

The project is implemented by the Copperbelt University in Zambia in collaboration with the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) and Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Norway. The project will develop the capacity for education and research to transform economic and political institutions so that ecosystem values are translated into sustainable land use practices and poverty reduction in the Southern Africa region.

The project will enable the Copperbelt University in Zambia and the SADC-registered SAWC in South Africa, both in need of strengthening education and research on natural resource management, to collaborate with two more experienced universities (Stellenbosch University and the NMBU. The project is based on an innovative partnership linking research with practice and training with three key outputs:

• The development of teaching and research capacity in development economics, natural resource governance and management of complex landscapes through team-based transdisciplinary research and PhD training
• The incorporation of pro-poor economics, governance and stakeholder management skills for a new generation of professionals in new Master programs
• Inclusive stakeholder processes to ensure evidence-based solutions to poverty reduction and conservation. 

The project’s geographical scope for research and education is for the Copperbelt University, the greater Kafue ecosystem (65,000km2) and for the Southern Africa Wildlife College, the greater Limpopo Trans Frontier Conservation Area (100,000km2). 

Key goals and achievements

Overall goal

To develop a Southern African community of practice for pro-poor natural resource governance, education, research and application in regional higher education institutions

The objectives of the project are:

1. Capacity of regional higher education institutions improved in transdisciplinary approaches, governance, and poverty reduction in biodiversity dependent communities
2. Team-based, transdisciplinary PhD and Masters programme integrated into the Greater Kafue Ecosystem and Greater Limpopo Trans-Frontier Conservation Area  
3. Regional modular professional Masters programmes for natural resource governance developed and addressing new competencies