Excessive red tape is strangling biodiversity research in South Africa

Authors

• Graham J. Alexander School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3991-4099
• Krystal A. Tolley 1.School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7778-1963
• Bryan Maritz Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2537-1222
• Andrew McKechnie 1.South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa; 2.Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1524-1021
• Paul Manger School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1881-2854
• Robert L. Thomson FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6958-1259
• Carsten Schradin 1.School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.IPHC, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2706-2960
• Andrea Fuller 1.Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.Department of Paraclinical Sciences and Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6370-8151
• Leith Meyer 1.Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.Department of Paraclinical Sciences and Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5122-2469
• Robyn S. Hetem School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1953-3520
• Michael Cherry Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5161-7735
• Werner Conradie 1.Port Elizabeth Museum (Bayworld), Port Elizabeth, South Africa; 2.Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0805-9683
• Aaron M. Bauer Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6839-8025
• David Maphisa 1.South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2248-5606
• Justin O'Riain Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5233-8327
• Daniel M. Parker 1.School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela, South Africa; 2.Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7555-5674
• Musa C. Mlambo 1.Department of Freshwater Invertebrates, Albany Museum, Makhanda, South Africa; 2.Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7624-5686
• Gary Bronner Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2279-3094
• Kim Madikiza School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7993-8795
• Adriaan Engelbrecht Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8846-4069
• Alan T.K. Lee 1.FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Centre for Functional Biodiversity, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5858-9351
• Bettine Jansen van Vuuren Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5334-5358
• Tshifhiwa G. Mandiwana-Neudani Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7276-5983
• Darren Pietersen Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7592-8319
• Jan A. Venter Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4548-2571
• Michael J. Somers Mammal Research Institute, Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5836-8823
• Rob Slotow School of Life Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9469-1508
• W. Maartin Strauss Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3087-1937
• Marc S. Humphries School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4047-1451
• Peter G. Ryan FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3356-2056
• Graham I.H. Kerley Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2702-5200