Governance in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Project Activities

Biosphere reserves are unique human-centred sites that aim to reconcile the needs of people and the environment. The successful implementation of the biosphere reserve concept, however, relies on several factors including good governance. Governance, in turn, can be impacted by the science-policy-practice interface. The literature indicates that various biosphere reserves around the world have different governance challenges and opportunities often as a result of the unique circumstances and governance approaches of these different biosphere reserves. Furthermore; although the MAB program strongly encourages the generation of interdisciplinary, implementable research; there are a number of barriers to generating knowledge that can be implemented in the management of biosphere reserves. It is under this backdrop that this project aims to study the governance model and impact of the science-policy-practice interface in enhancing governance in the Magaliesberg Biosphere.

Data collection will be conducted through interviews with board members of the Magaliesberg Biosphere and heads of departments and deans of relevant departments and faculties at surrounding tertiary education. The interview data will, thereafter, be analysed using qualitative thematic coding.

Very few previous studies have focused on governance of African biosphere reserves and, more generally, biosphere reserves in the southern hemisphere remain understudied. The Magaliesberg Biosphere, which was designated recently in 2015, has not been well-studied and there appears to be no other previous or ongoing projects investigating governance and the impact of the science-policy-practice at this site. This project, therefore, aims to contribute to filling a gap in the knowledge base regarding biosphere reserves.

This research is in progress. It is being undertaken by Ms Zeenat Patel under the supervision of Dr Kaera Coetzer at the University of Pretoria.