Updated 05/08/20
Groupement International de Recherche-Sud (GDRI-Sud)
January 2019 – January 2022
Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania
Context
The International Research Network (GDRI-Sud) DELTAS (environmental and social dynamics of Western Indian Ocean deltas) consolidates the previously existing WIoDER network. This GDRI-Sud is supported by long-term IRD partnerships in the area and a research consortium working from 2017 to 2019. Students and researchers from Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique) and Europe (France, Netherlands, United Kingdom) study together in the WIoDER consortium.
Objectives
Three main research themes were identified for GDRI-Sud DELTAS:
- Environmental changes affecting the deltas surrounding the Mozambique channel
- Demographic, social, political and economic dynamics taking place in these deltas
- Impact of public policies of coastal wetlands management and of globalization
Based on preliminary results and new researches (historical ecology and coastal geopolitics in particular), the aim of the GDRI-Sud DELTAS is to show the specificities of socio-environmental functioning of Western Indian Ocean deltas, to characterize potential tensions and conflicts about the management of these areas and potential solutions to solve them and to present analysis models and prospective scenarios of their evolution.
Concerning methodology, the GDRI-Sud DELTAS aims at creating, through interdisciplinary research, participative environment observatories, developing innovative analyses and tools and establishing shared data bases. Knowledge-sharing and capacity reinforcement of the network members are at the core of the project : thematic schools and online training, field grants for students in Masters and PhD. The participation of local stakeholders in the creation and consolidation of results is also a priority. More precisely, the GDRI-DELTAS contributes to the consolidation of the WIoDER network thanks to:
- The organisation of thematic workshops and new working groups
- The dissemination of produced results (publications, international conferences)
- Strengthened links with other international networks working on deltas
- Responses to regional and international calls for tender
Partners
- National Museums of Kenya
- Kenyan Wetlands Biodiversity research team (Kenya)
- Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
- National Centre on Environmental Research (Madagascar)
- University Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique)
- Institute for Water Education (Netherlands)
- University of Southampton (United Kingdom)
- UMR Patrimoine locaux et Gouvernance (France)
- UMR Gouvernance, Risques, Environnement et Développement (France)
- UMR Unité de Recherche Migration et Société (France)
- UMR Institut des Mondes Africains (France)
- UMR Ecologie Marine Tropicale des Océans Pacifique et Indien (France)
- UMR Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat (France)
- UMR Gestion de l’Eau, Acteurs, Usages (France)
Scientific coordination:
- Stéphanie Duvail (UMR PALOC, Geographer, France)
- Dorothy Nyingi (National Museums of Kenya, Biologist, Kenya)
- Dinis Juizo (University Eduardo Mondlane, Hydrologist, Mozambique)
Funding
Co-funding by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD).
