Scientific themes
The overall objective of the RP-PCP is to contribute to sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and improved rural livelihoods in Southern Africa , through strengthening national research capacities, multidisciplinary approaches and institutional partnerships with a focus on protected areas and neighboring production.
The RP-PCP seeks to promote applied research on “wild-domestic interfaces” in order to address issues related to the coexistence of Man and Nature , by mitigating development and conservation activities. Our research framework seeks to understand the links between heterogeneity and sustainability of socio-ecological systems in the context of wild-domestic interfaces.
Our multidisciplinary group is organized in four broad thematic areas: Animal Health and Environment ( AHE ), Ecology ( Eco ), Conservation and Agriculture ( C&A ) and Natural Resources Governance and Institutions ( NRGI ). Research projects often cross-cut several thematic areas and the limit between them is artificial as they address questions of the same socio-ecological system.
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Diseases shared between human, livestock and wildlife are a major constraint to development and conservation initiatives. -
Understanding ecological processes is key to addressing societal and conservation issues. -
Governance of Natural Resources
Access to and use of natural resources by human communities in socio-ecological systems is culturally and legally regulated. -
Agricultural production in semi-arid landscapes adjacent to protected areas must ensure food security for local communities while adapting to specific constraints.