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Global change and subsistence management in Southern African resource variability, access and use in relation to rural livelihoods and welfare

Objective

* To determine how rangeland state influences the components of rangeland productivity (including agropastoral production).
* To determine how the components of rangeland productivity contribute to the welfare of rural communities.
* To assess the impacts of current policies and practices (at scales ranging from the household to the international) on resource access and use by different groups within the rural community and their welfare.
* To assess, as far as possible, the impacts of the variability in biophysical process and socio-economic influences on rangeland state, rangeland productivity and human welfare.
* To collate and evaluate the data, derived models and relevant hypotheses, and develop policy and intervention options designed to optimise human welfare and sustainable rangeland use.
* To make preliminary estimates of the dynamics of the impacts of human-induced global changes on rangeland productivity and rural welfare.
Expected Outcome

Overall the project will lead to the modelling of the dynamic interaction outlined above, to policy recommendations and options, potential physical interventions and possibly, financial priorities designed to improve the sustainability (ecological, economic & social) of the subsistence rangeland in southern Africa. It will enable regional assessment and longer-term planning in the region to prepare for & anticipate potential impacts of global change. It will identify the major elements in the relationships between rangeland state and rangeland productivity. Specific opportunities to improve the management of the rangeland to increase their biophysical sustainability will be identified as will the contribution of socio-economic development of the specific communities.
The key activities have been divided into workpackages and include :
* Project initiation and community participation : Rapid rural appraisal and participatory rural appraisal techniques will be employed to survey village and grazer interests and attitudes. The local teams will carry these out with guidance from local and European specialists in rural sociology.
* Biophysical data collection and analysis including : Basic survey of water sources and hydrological conditions; survey of soil fertility and erodibility; ecological analysis; estimates of biomass productivity; developing a mechanistic understanding of rangeland composition and productivity; assessing the availability of other rangeland products; collecting basic climatic data.
* Socio-economic data collection and analysis : Standard social science methodology will be used to characterise social and institutional structures, demographic structures, work distribution and related gender issues, migratory working patterns etc.
* Resource management and policy analysis : Some landuse practices appear to be more destructive than others of rangeland resources. The impact of different landuse practices on rangeland state, at different spatial and temporal scales, at each of the study sites will be determined.
* Integration and synthesis of data : The data collected in previous work packages will be used to generate a dynamic model to integrate biophysical and socio-economic factors. A preliminary analysis of some aspects of the potential impact of long-term climate change on the southern African region will also be undertaken.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF WALES - BANGOR
EU contribution
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Address
Thoday Building, Deiniol Road
LL57 2UW BANGOR (GWYNEDD)
United Kingdom

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Total cost
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Participants (6)