Engaging the Community

Abstract

As part of the LiveDiverse South African case study, extensive fieldwork is being conducted in the rural setting of the Vhembe district in the Limpopo Province, on cultural and spiritual beliefs and attitudes relating to sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity. Preliminary findings show that in order to address the challenges of biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods, expertise from a diverse set of interdisciplinary backgrounds is needed. Creating a balance between technical, natural and social science is critical to developing relevant and impact driven analytical frameworks and solutions to better understand the role of beliefs, values and attitudes in perceptions of biological, socio-economic and cultural-spiritual vulnerability. This transdisciplinary approach fosters ownership at the community level and helps to produce relevant and community-friendly policy recommendations. The project team members are engaging people about their traditions, spiritual beliefs, food patterns, interaction with nature, and have gained considerable insights into VhaVenda culture