The Afromontane Research Unit
Reaching for New Heights
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13908340 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vincent Ralph Clark (0000-0001-5058-0742, University of the Free State, corresponding author), Lethiwe Sokhela (University of the Free State), João de Deus Vidal (0000-0002-0420-4102, University of the Free State) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2019-11-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mountain Research and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0276-4741 • E-ISSN: 1994-7151 |
| Publisher | International Mountain Society (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.1659/mrd-journal-d-20-00006.1 |
| OpenAlex | W3013595582 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 3 |
The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), based at the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State, South Africa, continues to grow in research strength and reach. While a core focus on the sustainable development of the Maloti–Drakensberg will be perennial, the ARU is leading the way in growing a robust community of practice for transdisciplinary research on southern African mountains. Combined with a vision for strong science, policy, and action, this is being achieved through exponential growth of partnerships—local, regional, and global—to tackle relevant issues, in particular wicked problems that seemingly defy achievement of the sustainable development goals. An important component in growing this community of practice is the development of our staff and students at Qwaqwa: for instance, in 2018–2019, US$ 270,000 was invested in Qwaqwa research projects; simultaneously, US$ 500,000 was actively sourced by Qwaqwa academics to supplement these internal ARU funds. The investment and effort are showing increasing return in terms of personal academic development and increased quality and quantity of research outputs. Given that the ARU is still a young research group (5 years old), this exponential growth is encouraging for both science and mountains in Africa
Action research · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Investment (military · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Regional science · Sociology · Sustainable development · Unit (ring theory · Cryospheric studies and observations · Geotourism and Geoheritage Conservation · Polar Research and Ecology · Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.6 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2023 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |