Livelihoods from ecosystems - reviewing dryland African experiences and opportunities, and developing novel research strategies and partnerships

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Approach: Dryland Southern and Eastern African environments have been the object of study by countless external institutions, each with their own interests. Our approach differs: 1) poor people's environmental needs are at the centre of our research strategy; 2) we have been in extensive contact with individuals, communities and research groups from the South who have given the principal direction to this proposed ESPA work, and 3) our consortium is formed around African institutions and people that are working daily in ecosystem contexts of central importance to poor groups, namely woodlands, grasslands and wetlands These three ecosystems potentially provide poor people with their livelihoods and resilience. Various African institutions have been working to improve ecosystem management practice by poor groups, developing their own innovations. In addition, they have made clear three areas where they believe Northern participation in ESPA is essential to: improve scientific understanding of the ecosystem services provided by the above; increase the resilience of poor peoples to human and animal disease; and build capacity at all levels to ensure implementation, with particular emphasis on resilience to climate change. We in the South seek a PPD grant to enable collaboration with UK researchers and others. The consortium will have the skills mix and connections to assess progress and challenges, and African innovations, in ecosystem management; identify priorities for investment in natural and social sciences for improving ecosystem management; and engage policy stakeholders so that the enabling conditions become conducive for scaling up good practice. This will be particularly valuable for assessing how emerging international 'green' funds could be an opportunity for poor people. We are also in contact with many other institutes and individuals in the South who would participate. Activities: The principal activity will be a week-long workshop of the research partners and complementary Southern associates. These will include representatives from the local communities and study sites where we will be working, plus local, national and regional NGO's, scientists from universities (e.g. Moi, Nairobi, Kenyatta in Kenya; Dar es Salaam & Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, the University of Zambia, Malawi & Mzuma Universities, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique, Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, KZN, Pretoria and Witwatersrand in South Africa amongst others) plus those at National or Regional Research Institutes (such as CSIR & SANBI, South Africa, or SACIDS, Tanzania), plus research consortia (e.g. Cirrus Group, SA) and also Departments of Wildlife and Forestry from all participating countries within SADC and EAC. At the workshop, particular days will be dedicated to peer review among those working on ES & PA; hearings from representatives of poor groups; and engagement with policy-makers and business people. The workshop will be professionally facilitated, and will be preceded by a summary of both scientific and grey literature on research status and needs, and the preparation of a brief on the research potentials offered by the current consortium. Overview: We aim to scope a research strategy that will fulfil all four ESPA objectives. We will work across a range of dryland southern and eastern African countries. All partners have strong institutional and governmental links within each country, as well as extensive experience of working on various problems associated with ES and PA. We plan to assess and prioritise among the six thematic areas identified in this call, matching research needs to some tentative options for ES research and PA strategies that have been developed already in consultation with Southern partners including the running of new regional climate change and land surface models with political scientists and economists.