Across Southern Africa, communally governed rangelands and grasslands support wildlife, vast informal economies and millions of people.
There has been international interest in rangelands as spaces for landscape restoration and ecosystems management associated with ‘nature-based solutions’ (NbS).
But these dynamic landscapes are often misunderstood. Much of the evidence about NbS comes from very different settings in the Global North, with assumptions that are a mismatch to the histories and changing social, ecological and political contexts of Southern African rangelands.
Beginning in 2024, REPAiR is a research project that critically explores whether and how equitable, contextual, community-led approaches to NbS can support adaptability and resilience in Southern Africa’s rangelands.
Funding
The REPAiR project is supported by UK Research and Innovation Building a Green Future strategic theme, Building a Secure and Resilient World strategic theme, Natural Environment Research Council, and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office [NE/Z503459/1].
Research sites
REPAiR brings together multiple forms of knowledge and transdisciplinary collaboration, including case studies focused on sites in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The project team will carry out an intensive study in four sites in South Africa, in the Drakensberg Sub-Escarpment. Researchers will use methods from natural and social sciences, including ecological surveys and participatory approaches with local people. The project will also analyse how relevant policies are shaped, the effects of these policies and how they could change.
Alongside the work in South Africa, the project will exchange knowledge with collaborators in other countries in Southern Africa and beyond.
Planned outputs
Potential outputs will include case studies, maps, stories of change, reports and practical guidance.
In addition, the project will share its findings through peer-reviewed journal articles.
Partners
- Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, UK
- Kew Royal Botanical Gardens
- Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa
- University of Cape Town, South Africa
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Meat Naturally Africa (MNA), South Africa
Further information on the REPAiR project can be found on the project website and X, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.
Key contacts
