Ecology and ConservationProgramme

[Climate Change] [Conservation Biology] [Conservation farming] [Desertification] [Horticultural Research]

The work of the Ecology and Conservation Programme is directed primarily in support of several important International Conventions ratified by the South African Government.

These are:

• the Convention on Biological Diversity
• the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
• the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Many research activities and consultancies cross-cut the interest areas of these conventions and also relate to areas ranging from rural upliftment to urban renewal to environmental policy development.

The Programme aims to help establish what is causing environmental change, how environmental change impacts on natural resources and on the quality of life, and what can be done to mitigate negative environmental changes. National and international scientific collaboration is commonly employed, together with stake-holder interaction, to attain objectives, . The record of this programme shows how a high level of innovation has led to a number of novel research initiatives, both nationally and wider afield.