| OBJECTIVES |
| The Miombo ecoregion sustains the livelihoods of more than 100 million rural poor people and 50 million urban people. Hence, understanding and conservation of Miombo woodlands is paramount. However, balancing ecosystem services (ES) such as food security and nutrition, wood energy, and poverty alleviation against Miombo conservation for biodiversity, water resources, buffer against extreme weather events and land degradation is challenging in a context of population increase in the Miombo ecoregion (Gumbo et al., 2018, FAO). This important challenge comes against a backdrop of very low research intensity; i.e. with attainable research spending below 1% of the agricultural GDP (EU and AU targets; Nin Pratt, 2016, IFPRI). In general, this project aims to establish research priorities and strengthen research leadership of UNILU with respect to the sustainable conservation of Miombo woodlands to sustain societal well-being. Specifically, it seeks (i) to quantify the impact of environmental changes (i.e. climate change, land use change, pollution…) on Miombo ES; and (ii) to develop local contextualized and science-based solutions for biodiversity conservation, particularly in mining and charcoal production areas. Therefore, the medium-term internal objectives are: (i) to build a critical academic mass and research infrastructure, (ii) to investigate and develop interdisciplinary solutions for Miombo woodland conservation, and (iii) to set up a Competence Centre for Rational and Sustainable Management of Biodiversity Resources (CRSMB), which will evolve as a part of the Environmental Observatory (to be created thanks to this programme, through project 6). The medium-term external objective is to develop locally-driven interdisciplinary research agendas to attract additional international public and private funding. In the long term, this project aims (i) internally, to make UNILU a regional reference institute for Miombo woodland ecosystems services and biodiversity conservation; and ii) at the external level, to contribute to well-being of the KCA population by developing decision support tools for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and by proposing decision support systems for mitigating impacts of environmental change on forest ecosystem services. |
| CONTEXT ANALYSIS |
| In addition to hosting the world’s largest copper and cobalt deposits, the KCA also contains much of the African Miombo woodland. The Miombowoodland, which is a tropical dry deciduous forest, represents more than 20% of the forests of DRC and has an estimated diversity of 8,500 plant species (4630 of which are endemic) and about 5,000 animal species. Being an important hotspot of plant and animal biodiversity, the Miombo woodland provides several goods and services (timber, charcoal, honey, mushrooms, fruits, climate regulation, clean water…) that contribute (in)directly to survival and well-being of local populations. The most recent anthropogenic pressure (mining boom, urbanization, artisanal charcoal production and slash-and-burn agriculture) has led to profound environmental and landscape changes such as soil and water pollution, land degradation and deforestation leading to a loss of biodiversity and other ES. Furthermore, countless harm from the destruction of Miombo woodland can be observed. For example, many non-timber resources, harvest products such as honey, mushrooms, but also caterpillars are gradually disappearing due to selective cutting of host plants, etc., thus threatening these value chains. Similarly, the deterioration of Miombo woodland also leads to a significant reduction in game fauna, and a progressive deficiency in animal proteins that the village population derives from hunting (game) and gathering (caterpillars) products, in a context of poorly developed livestock farming. The present project aims at reversing the above-mentioned negative trends, through the adequate training of new research leadership in the region, the creation of a CRSMB and an Ecosystem Services Database (ESDB) within the Environmental Observatory and the capacity building of laboratory staff. This will improve the socio-ecological framework of the KCA population with regard to biodiversity conservation and restoration and climate change. In addition, Project 1 is linked to the other academic and cross-cutting projects developed within the IUC programme. Firstly, through the implementation of a contextualized solution for Miombo Woodland conservation, the livelihoods of the local population of the KCA will improve (Project 2). The study of land use pressures on Miombowoodlandand the proposal of appropriate models for mitigating their environmental impacts will link with Project 5. Subsequently, better knowledge of Miombo woodland's biodiversity and ecosystem services offered will develop other fields of activity, such as honey and mushroom production, collection of medicinal plants, etc., which will promote entrepreneurship through the creation of new value chains (Project 4). Women, who are especially involved in mineral washing in artisanal mining sites and therefore exposed to toxic metals, are targeted here. Finally, within the KCA, populations compete for the same resources in a restricted environment whereby conflict leading to insecurity become problematic (Project 3). University radio will be used to disseminate the results of this project, while the partnership between UNILU and the actors working in the management and use of ES will be improved by using the UNILU-society interface (project 6). Project 6 will strengthen the research capacities of the promoters involved in the supervision of the doctoral research of project 1, as well as the equipment and training of laboratory technicians or the implementation of the CRSMB within the environment observatory. |
STRATEGY OF THE PROJETCT
| This project will be based on a triple, strategic approach: Axis 1. Academic Component. This component aims at strengthening the pedagogical and knowledge base of the teaching staff and strengthening research leadership, based on doctoral and master theses in co-supervision with the Flemish partners. As a result, 6-8 doctoral students (at least 1/3 will be female, since more than 75% of UNILU's scientific staff is male) will be selected in consultation with all partners. They will carry out doctoral training, which will involve locally driven interdisciplinary research, science communication, elective courses and attending international conferences. In addition, 5 master students (in agronomy, veterinary medicine, and sciences) will be selected per academic year according to their research project to be carried out within the framework of this project. Project 2 will promote the creation of a Master (for both research and professional purposes) in « Environmental Science and Technology » where the doctors trained in project 1 will carry out research and teaching on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Intermediate results (IR1): the advanced Master in « Environmental Sciences and Technology » is created, advocated and supported, and at least 6 PhD students and 50 MSc students graduated during the 10 years of the programme. |
| Axis 2. Research component. This component will focus on (i) the development of a methodological framework for ES (description of indicators, mechanisms and determinants of ES; (ii) mapping and assessing the (in)direct consequences of land use/cover pressure issue (mining, charcoal production shifting agriculture…) and climate change on ES and human well-being (including gender impact), and (iii) the development of approaches to mitigate the environmental impacts (direct and indirect) on biodiversity. The results will be vulgarized in the form of policy briefs. IR2: The skills of UNILU teachers-researchers in assessing the environmental impacts on ES are strengthened and transferred to their students. Axis 3. Service to society.The project will promote training, knowledge transfer and support for actors in the field of Miombo woodland ecosystem services through the establishment of a task force including stakeholders (local communities, state structures, companies and NGOs, research institutions, civil society, etc.) which will constitute a framework for information exchange and sharing, particularly through the production of decision support tools (technical and methodological documents, etc.) adapted to the context of the KCA and the creation of the CRSMB within the Environmental Observatory. Continuous training programs adapted and evolving for the benefit of professionals, with concrete impacts on the socio-ecological development of the region, will also be organized. IR3: The results obtained will be disseminated to all local and regional stakeholders. |
| FINAL BENEFICIARIES |
| Among the beneficiaries of this project are (1) UNILU's academic staff and students who are conducting their studies at UNILU; more specifically, local PhD supervisors and the doctoral and master students that will be recruited and supported by the project to carry out their research. In the long term, it is not only the entire institution that is targeted by the project thanks to future academics generation, but also (2) the communities living around the sites with high land use and population pressure (mining activities, charcoal production, shifting cultivation…) that deserve a better understanding of the threats posed to their living environment; (3) industrial companies (mining, agriculture, etc.) who will benefit from innovative conservation techniques, and from the ESDB to better manage the ecosystems within their concessions; (4) governments (central and provincial) who, while promoting local development, must address the challenges (ecosystem and climate change, loss of biodiversity and assets, and ES) related to land use and population pressure and (5) NGOs and CSOs who will further develop their databases to raise awareness of good practices that conserve biodiversity and KCA ecosystems in general. End-users may face the following structural challenges and obstacles: (1) weak organizational capacity of state services involved in environmental management, (2) low level of collaboration between industrial companies, state services, and civil society environmental actors, (3) low level of knowledge and lack of motivation of external stakeholders, and (4) reluctance of industrial operators (mainly miners) and state services to share necessary data and ensure continued accessibility to degraded sites located in mining concessions. UNILU will meet these challenges thanks to its knowledge and understanding of the local context, its long-term collaboration with beneficiaries and end-users, as well as the sensitization of local actors to the existing problems and especially to the possible solutions developed in the framework of this project. UNILU will interact continuously with the final beneficiaries (through the advisory board, the task forces, consultation frameworks, etc.) during the implementation of the project and will ensure that they receive the necessary training on how to apply the new technologies (i.e. ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, etc.) developed. A community of stakeholders will be created through a platform or a framework for exchanges that will be regularly in activity and whose aim is to share information. In addition, meetings with all stakeholders (UNILU, enterprises, women's associations, youth, FEC, state services) will be organised, on a rotating basis in the KCA agglomerations, every 6 months in order to evaluate and reframe the different activities to be carried out within this project. Also, the mass media will be solicited to popularise the project activities to the entire KCA population. The external partners (e.g. NGOs) will be supported through training so that they can effectively communicate and disseminate the data produced by the project. Finally, UNILU will ensure that the ESDB is shared with beneficiaries and end-users. |
