Regions and the environment: experiences of environmental research networks in southern Africa

Saidi, Amani T.

doi:10.1080/03736245.2010.489634

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Although the oldest network Gobabeb Research and Training Centre (GOBABEB) was established in Africa in 1962 and boasts more than 50-year research on the Namib (Henschel and Lancaster, 2013), interest in environmental research in the southern Africa emerged in the 1980s. It led to the mushrooming of regional environmental research networks since the 1990s, but many of the established networks never became active (Saidi and Pauw, 2010). The Environmental Long-Term Observatories Network of the Southern Africa (ELTOSA) was established in 2001 by networks from Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia (Henschel et al, 2003).…”

Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ELTOSA aimed to coordinate the regional planning of environmental observatories′ networks; facilitate regional research collaboration; standardize research and data handling protocols; and ensure data sharing and dissemination. However, it has been inactive and unproductive for much of its existence (Saidi and Pauw, 2010). ELTOSA implementation has been constrained by funding, and most country scale networks exist only in name and lack visibility and information on their site (see the case of Malawi-LTER in Table 2 and Table 3).…”

Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ELTOSA implementation has been constrained by funding, and most country scale networks exist only in name and lack visibility and information on their site (see the case of Malawi-LTER in Table 2 and Table 3). Only SAEON, which has guaranteed funding from South African government through the National Research Foundation (NRF), has effectively sustained a long-term implementation (Saidi and Pauw, 2010;Joubert and Trollip, 2011).…”

Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It could not be based solely on project funds, as LTER is known to be expensive (Tenhinds, 1984;Bennun et al, 2005;Saidi and Pauw, 2010;Joubert and Trollip, 2011). The US LTER and the CERN lasted more than three decades because they were supported by periodic renewed governmental funding (Fu et al, 2010;Robertson et al, 2012).…”

Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding LTER, Africa is ranked behind other continents that own national to regional and even continental scale monitoring networks (Gray and Kalpers, 2005;Saidi and Pauw, 2010;Jürgens et al, 2012). However, Africa has many programs and projects involving wildlife conservation and ecosystem monitoring through International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) initiatives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Building African Ecosystem Research Network for sustaining local ecosystem goods and services

Yevide

et al. 2015

Chin. Geogr. Sci.

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Abstract:A new form of producing and sharing knowledge has emerged as an international (United States of America, Asia, and Europe) research collaboration, known as the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. Although Africa boasts rich biodiversity, including endemic species, it lacks the long-term initiatives to underpin sustainable biodiversity managements. At present, climate change may exacerbate hunger and poverty concerns in addition to resulting in ecosystem degradation, land use change, and other threats in Africa. Therefore, ecosystem monitoring was suggested to understanding the effects of climate change and setting strategies to mitigate these changes. This paper aimed to investigate ecosystem monitoring ground sites and address their coverage gaps in Africa to provide a foundation for optimizing the African Ecosystem Research Network (AERN) ground sites. The geographic coordinates and characteristics of ground sites-based ecosystem monitoring were collected from various networks aligned with the LTER implementation in Africa. Additionally, climatic data and biodiversity distribution maps were retrieved from various sources. These data were used to assess the size of existing ground sites and the gaps in description, ecosystems and biomes. The results reveal that there were 1089 sites established by various networks. Among these sites, 30.5%, 27.5%, and 28.8% had no information of area, year of establishment, current status, respectively. However, 68.0% of them had an area equal to or greater than 1 km 2 . Sites were created progressively over the course of the years, with 68.9% being created from 2000 to 2005. To date, only 41.5% of the sites were operational. The sites were scattered across Africa, but they were concentrated in Eastern and Southern Africa. The unbalanced distribution pattern of the sites left Central and Northern Africa hardly covered, and many unique ecosystems in Central Africa were not included. To sustain these sites, the AERN should be based on operational sites, seeking secure funding by establishing multiple partnerships.

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Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Long-term Ecological Research (Lter) In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%