The Oliver Tambo Chair at UEM strengthens cooperation in techniques for communicating scientific results

On April 9th ​​and 10th of this year, a workshop was held, conducted by the South African organization Jive Media Africa, as part of its cooperation with the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering of UEM (Eduardo Mondlane University). The workshop was attended by researchers from the chair and master's students in Biology and Conservation Ecology, as well as doctoral students in Forestry Sciences, funded by the Oliver Tambo Chair, focusing on adaptation to climate change in arid and semi-arid zones of the Limpopo Corridor, which encompasses the districts of Limpopo, Massingir, Mabalane, Mapai, and Chicualacuala in Gaza province.

The Chair is coordinated by Professor Almeida Sitoe, who oversees the implementation of the research inherent to the chair. Since its inception in 2022, the chair has already published more than ten scientific articles and will soon begin advocacy work with local communities, aiming to protect forests and disseminate information on adaptation to climate change in the country's dry regions.

During the workshop, the Chair holder, Almeida Sitoe, acknowledged the challenges inherent in communicating study results to various stakeholders, including the government, the community, civil society, and other target audiences. This workshop, currently in its initial six-month phase, aims to lay the groundwork for effective communication of research findings in the near future. In this sense, it is possible to foresee that, in the coming years, it will be possible to influence public policies and change community behavior in the conservation of forest ecosystems and the adoption of adaptation actions as a mechanism for building local resilience.

The working group traveled to the Limpopo district, more specifically to the administrative post of Chirindzene, in Gaza province, with the objective of observing the importance of conserving the "Sacred Forest". The district administrator, Virgílio André Mulhanga, and Chief Matavel, gave speeches on the contribution of the "Sacred Forest" to the lives of the communities, mentioning, among other aspects, wildlife resources, safari tourism and the climate.