nature of international collaboration in the Benguela upwelling region, 2000–2016

Abstract

The aim of this piece is to draw attention to the fact that although we, as a country, have participated extensively in collaborative work with neighbouring states in the area of marine science, the number of lingering collaborations is woefully low, at least as measured using collaboratively authored publications as a measure of success in collaboration. And this low level of collaboration is despite significant financial intervention in the first decade of the 21st century. Indeed, the situation is depressing, and from conversations with colleagues, the lack of willingness to be inclusive and generous with authorship leads to mistrust and potentially threatens future relationships. With Operation Phakisa, the South African government is intent on building the blue economy, an economy that can best succeed by working with neighbours. With South Africa currently holding the chair of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and with the Department of Environmental Affairs Branch Oceans and Coasts investing significantly in research in the Western Indian Ocean, we need to be careful. So this piece is framed with the intention of reminding scientists who are working 'collaboratively', to make good on the fruits of the collaboration.International collaboration occurs when scientists with different skill sets and/or knowledge/experience from different countries work together on a common subject/problem. International, regional collaborative research within the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) was generously funded between 1997 and 2008, and has been supported subsequently, albeit at a lower level of investment. Collaboratively conceived and executed projects that generate data should result in collaboratively authored publications at project end, conditional upon data quality, subject novelty and time. Starting from a low level then, we would expect to see a progressive increase in collaborative publications pertinent to the BCLME region over the period 1997-2008, reflecting the stimulation and momentum engendered by the injected resources. As funds dwindle, a decline in collaboration might be anticipated that will be followed by a new base built on common curiosities and linkages. Here, we examine the level of collaboration in the scientific publications that emanated from work conducted in the BCLME over the period 2000-2016, with a view to understanding the nature of the collaboration.The Benguela Current is one of five eastern boundary currents which characteristically flow equatorward along the western seaboards of the major continental land masses. These currents are renowned for their important industrial fisheries that contribute significantly to regional economies and have been subject to considerable study. While teams from across the world try to seek universal truths through comparative approaches 1 , much is management orientated, and is conducted 'in-country' 2 . The Benguela Current flows northwards along the west coasts of South Africa, Namibia and southern Angola. 3 Whilst the oceanographic ...

Governing Africa’s Blue Economy: The Protection and Utilisation of the Continent’s Blue Spaces

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