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

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2021/10787

Keywords:

research productivity, human capital development, Nagoya Protocol, bureaucracy

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Published

2021-09-29

How to Cite

Alexander, G. J., Tolley, K. A., Maritz, B., McKechnie, A., Manger, P., Thomson, R. L. ., Schradin, C., Fuller, A., Meyer, L., Hetem, R. S. ., Cherry, M., Conradie, W., Bauer, A. M., Maphisa, D., O’Riain, J., Parker, D. M. ., Mlambo, M. C. ., Bronner, G., Madikiza, K., Engelbrecht, A. ., Lee, A. T. ., Jansen van Vuuren, B. ., Mandiwana-Neudani, T. G., Pietersen, D., Venter, J. A., Somers, M. J., Slotow, R., Strauss, W. M. ., Humphries, M. S., Ryan, P. G., & Kerley, G. I. (2021). Excessive red tape is strangling biodiversity research in South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 117(9/10). https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2021/10787

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