A Partnership to Restore Savannas

Duke will collaborate with conservationists in Africa to assess and expand upon efforts to restore degraded ecosystems

Rhinos on a field at sunset

This is a summary of a story that originally appeared on the Nicholas School of the Environment website.

Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and African Parks, a leading conservation nonprofit organization based in Johannesburg, South Africa, have launched a research partnership that will work to better understand the ripple effect of rewilding on biodiversity in connection with African Parks’ historic effort to reintroduce native rhinoceroses to African grasslands. 

The partnership is made possible thanks to a $2 million dollar gift from an anonymous donor that will be equally distributed between both organizations. 

“Duke and African Parks share a common goal to better understand how rewilding lands with native species can restore ecosystems and curb biodiversity loss,” said Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School. “A Duke alum brought this collaboration together over the past year. I am grateful for his support and for the anonymous donor enabling its launch, as our findings will empower those entrusted to protect African savannas and the species that depend on them.”

African Parks currently manages 24 protected areas in 13 African countries and has decades of experience moving over 8,000 animals to protected ecosystems. The initial gift will allow Duke faculty and students to collaborate with African Parks researchers in collecting and analyzing data on 2,000 southern white rhinoceros, a near-threatened species largely due to ongoing poaching of the animal for its horn. The animals will be rehomed to well-protected areas across the continent where they can fulfill their ecological role, through its Rhino Rewild Project. 

Researchers are hoping the project’s outcomes can be used to better understand how animal reintroduction can positively effect an ecosystem for the better, a key aspect that has not received much attention to date among peers.

For the full story, go to the Nicholas School of the Environment.