Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University
The African Wildlife Economy Institute
Programmes Manager

Closing date: 27 May 2022

Postdoctoral Research Opportunity: Analysis of wildlife economy opportunities, barriers, and recommendations for the scaling up of game meat value chains across Africa - Closing Date 15 May 2022

13 Apr 2022

Is economic growth a challenge to biodiversity conservation and management, or should ecological economics underlie all aspects of economic growth?

07 Apr 2022

At AWEI, we are exploring opportunities for scaling up the production and sale of food from both wild fauna and flora. Formal and informal provision of wild food can be found around the continent with marine and freshwater fish as perhaps the most common example. There are also excellent opportunities for wild food from other sources.

23 Mar 2022

This post was originally published by Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation (OGRC). The event, titled ‘Wild plant Opportunities in Africa’s wildlife economy’, was hosted by the African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI) of Stellenbosch University.

21 Mar 2022

The lockdown of the wildlife economy across Africa has served as a wake-up call for wildlife policy makers and stakeholders. The lockdown has given us opportunity to reflect seriously on the role that wildlife can play in supporting development. Africa’s wildlife economies could be a means to realign conservation with development.

14 Mar 2022

Director’s Report on the Dialogue on Wild Plant Opportunities in Africa’s Wildlife Economy

First develop a ready market for a natural product, lower barriers to entry, and ensure sector-wide support and an adequate supply chain of the raw product...

11 Mar 2022

74th Meeting Of The Standing Committee Of The Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora Agenda Item 39 – Closing Of Domestic Ivory Markets...

09 Mar 2022

Africa’s iconic wildlife forms a key part of the continent’s identity and is globally significant, both ecologically and economically. As the twenty-first century progresses, how is Africa’s economy likely to evolve and what role will this vital natural heritage play within it?...

03 Mar 2022

Wednesday (3 March) is World Wildlife Day. In an opinion piece for Daily Maverick, Deborah Vorhies and Francis Vorhies (African Wildlife Economy Institute) focus on why the United Nations promotes the sustainable use of endangered species...

07 Feb 2022

Specialisation means narrowing your field to a very particular set of skills. In a sense this means that the team becomes very much more important because it is the interconnectedness and the ability to communicate between the team members that is actually the path to success...

21 Dec 2021

In 1990, less than 20 Seychelles magpie-robins (Copsychus sechellarum) remained on Fregate Island in Seychelles. The shiny black bird is slender, bearing a white blaze on the wing, and, if I’m honest, doesn’t exactly spark much interest. However, it does have an absorbing history and promising future — if blockchain has anything to do with it...

24 Nov 2021

Director’s Report on a Dialogue on What’s Next for Africa’s Wildlife Economy

The African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI) based at Stellenbosch University (SU), hosted a discussion entitled “What’s next for Africa’s wildlife economy?” During two panel sessions participants explored key questions and knowledge gaps regarding the role that the wildlife economy can play in conserving biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience, creating inclusive economic opportunities, and promoting community well-being...

29 October 2021

One of the great thinkers in community-based conservation, Marshall Murphree, has passed away at the age of 90. He was a Professor Emeritus at the University of Zimbabwe where from 1970 to l996 he was Director of the Centre for Applied Social Sciences. From 1994 to 2000 he was Chair of the IUCN Sustainable Use Specialist Group...

12 Oct 2021

MSc/PhD ‘Wildlife Economy Project’ Bursaries

One MSc bursary and one PhD bursary are available from the African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University. The bursaries are available for commencement of studies in 2022...