01/02/2026 -
31/01/2029
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WildHarvest, through transdisciplinary action research and strong science-practitioner partnerships, will empower indigenous knowledge holders in two highly diverse biomes, the Cape Floristic Region and Dry savanna woodlands. It will produce transformative research on sustainable use of a wide range of wild-harvested taxa while contributing to policy and practice.
"Understanding and recognising wild products harvesting by Indigenous and Local communities to promote environmental justice and halt biodiversity erosion"
WildHarvest seeks to foster ‘environmental justice from science to policy’ through four components: 1) recognition justice, by valuing and respecting local, indigenous, and traditional ecological knowledge systems previously marginalised; 2) procedural justice, by giving marginalised communities opportunities to participate in natural resource decisions; 3) redistributive justice, by ensuring sustained direct benefits; 4) ecological justice, through traditional stewardship, emphasising sustainability, adaptation, and respect for ecological cycles. Building on these principles, WildHarvest will: understand critical socio-ecological couplings and develop frameworks relevant to wild-harvesting practices; document practices of wild harvesters from Indigenous Peoples and local communities, understand associated values and knowledge, and co-identify possible drivers of change; co-identify feedback loops between harvesting practices and resource ecology, and co-design monitoring methods to track resource state, dynamics, and pressures; trigger transformative change in natural resource governance locally and regionally, giving visibility and credibility to wild harvesters as key stewards.
Co-elaborate a research methodology relevant to local stakeholders and wild harvesters. Use mind-mapping to develop a conceptual framework from harvester narratives, elucidating social-ecological couplings supporting socially and ecologically just practices. Operationalise participatory ranking, sorting, and mapping tools in focus groups with key local knowledge holders. Analyse historical, legal, and policy documents to identify past and external drivers, and use focus groups to identify current local drivers. Co-elaborate visions for desirable futures in wild resource harvesting. Mobilise a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to bridge Indigenous and scientific knowledge and co-develop sustainable harvesting and community-based monitoring systems. Carry out an anticipatory governance exercise using the Futures triangle to identify challenges, opportunities, and leverage points for transformative change across scales. Create storytelling platforms at local, national, and transnational levels with local partners, ensuring knowledge dissemination respects cultural, linguistic, and connectivity diversity.
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