Project Partners
The SAF-ADAPT project is co-implemented by a consortium of four university partners, and the Adaptation Network. Each university partner brings complementary research and capacity building expertise across the natural and social sciences, and communication and advice at the research-policy interface. The South African institutions have a good regional spread, covering three provinces across South Africa, and bring existing links to national, provincial and local government.
KLIMOS brings together a network of Belgian university partners that have existing links to South Africa, as well as other developing country regions, enabling experiences from across the global South to fertilise research in South Africa.
The Adaptation Network is the main CCA community of practice in South Africa, and so will play a crucial role in dissemination of project information to a wide community, and in offering expertise for capacity building and outreach activities.
Partners
The African Climate & Development Initiative (ACDI) based at the University of Cape Town (UCT) coordinates and leads interdisciplinary research and training across seven faculties and over twenty specialized research centres at the University of Cape Town. It also has strong partnerships across South and Southern Africa and was recently awarded ‘Centre of Excellence’ (CoE) status for ‘Climate and Development’ alongside partners at the Universities of Nairobi and Ghana by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA). ACDI’s research informs local, national and international decision making, in both adaptation and mitigation spheres. This experience in transdisciplinary research and project (including financial) management makes ACDI ideally placed to lead this consortium.
The School of Environmental Sciences, based at the University of Venda (UNIVEN), provides professional training in environmental sciences and undertakes applied research that links the University to the needs of the region, nation and the international community. It has a strong track record in participating in international collaborations, and strong research expertise in rural livelihoods, climate change and modelling, water quality assessment, land use planning, waste management, natural resource management, fire ecology and management, disaster risk reduction, environmental impact assessment, mining impacts, health and safety and as well as the application of GIS and remote sensing in most of the areas specified. This interdisciplinary expertise is housed in the Departments of Geography and Geoinformation Sciences, Ecology and Resource Management, Hydrology & Water Resources, Urban and Regional Planning and Mining & Environmental Geology.
The Risk & Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC), based at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) conducts research in, and provides services for, assessment of down-stream global change risks and the effects on human well-being. It also undertakes evidence-based policy making, produces tools for decision making in disaster risk management and for risk and vulnerability assessment in the planning of development projects/programmes. A focus of the unit is to promote coordination of communities, municipalities, institutions of higher learning and government departments towards sustainable economic development.
University of Leuven (KU Leuven), KLIMOS Interuniversity Platform
KLIMOS is a Belgian interdisciplinary and inter-university research platform, which generates capacity to enable the necessary transition to a sustainable society through research for development. Eight research groups from six different universities and university colleges are involved. KLIMOS carries out multiple case studies in the Global South and has developed an environmental sustainability toolkit in support of environmental mainstreaming in development cooperation. KLIMOS is led by the Division of Forest, Nature & Landscape (FNL) at the Department of Earth and Environmental Services (EES), KULeuven. Other member university partners include: Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Université Libre de Bruxelles; Universiteit Gent; Universiteit Antwerpen and Université Catholique de Louvain.
The South African Adaptation Network
The SA Adaption Network supports inclusive development by inter alia: i) promoting knowledge sharing and partnerships amongst practitioners and institutions engaged in developing and applying the theory and practice of adaptation to climatic variability and change; ii) acting as a forum for sharing resources, knowledge and ideas and promoting the integration of different kinds of knowledge; and ii) acting as a recognised point of contact for consultation, lobbying and advocacy.