Ezamvelo KZN Wildlife maintains a list of priority research needs and will provide additional support to researchers who chose to tackle these projects. This may include use of research facilities and accommodation, free access to protected areas, logistical support (including in some cases field rangers or assistants), and access to long term data sets as well as providing letters of support for funding applications.

Research Priorities

Ezamvelo KZN Wildlife maintains a list of priority research projects under a series of themes. In addition each protected area develops and maintains a list of research priorities based on an assessment of information gaps in relation to making management decisions. As these priority lists become available in digital format they will be added to the web site; for protected areas where lists are not available on the web site please contact the relevant Manager Ecological Advice for the Protected Area concerned.

The lists of priority research topics are listed below:

• Research Priorities List for the Protected areas North West Region
• Research Priorities List for the Protected areas South West Region
• Global priorities for protected area research

Researchers working in Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) protected areas will have unparalleled access to species inventories and long term monitoring data, including long term vegetation monitoring, fire and climatic records.

Researchers will also be able to review previous research projects and publications, thus aiding development of research proposals, testing hypotheses and analyzing information about the protected areas.

• Details of all current and completed registered research projects and findings of completed projects are available.

• Comprehensive bibliographies of all research publications, reports, theses etc. are available for some areas.

• Many important documents relating to the history of conservation decisions in KZN are available in the EKZNW library at Head Office (Queen Elizabeth Park, Pietermaritzburg). The library also has a comprehensive collection of text books relevant to nature conservation, copies of completed theses, and subscriptions to many relevant journals.

• Extensive GIS data sets and their associated supported documentationa are available for most protected areas, and district municipalities.

For more information on any of the above please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To promote research activities a number of research centres have been developed in key EKZNW protected areas across the province. These research centres will assist researchers by providing accommodation, office and laboratory space, access to databases and other information, as well as logistical support (including, in some cases, field assistants).

During the registration process you can enquire about the availability and conditions of use of research accommodation. Generally, given the need to generate income to offset the inadequate State subsidy for conservation, no discounts are given for the use of tourist accommodation.

You will need to quote your Project Registration Number when making a booking for any research accommodation.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Research Facilities

• Download list of research accommodation available to visiting researchers with registered research projects

Detailed information on facilities

Mooi Research Centre, Kamberg, Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site

All research conducted in Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) protected areas must be registered and approved prior to commencement. In addition, it is a legal requirement that collection permits must be obtained whenever biological specimens are collected.

Biodiversity research conducted outside protected areas does not have to be registered with EKZNW, unless any form of assistance is required from EKZNW, but it is still a legal requirement that collection permits must be obtained whenever biological specimens are to be collected.

Please note that for archaeological/paleontological research conducted in protected areas a permit will be required from the appropriate heritage authority (Amafa and/or SAHRA) in addition to an EKZNW permit and registration of a project.

NOTE: iSimangaliso Wetland Park is controlled by a separate authority and has a slightly different application and approval process. Please contact the iSimangaliso Wetland Park directly.

When your project is successfully registered you will be given a unique project registration number which you must use as your reference on all correspondence, and which will be required when entering the protected area or making a research accommodation booking. You will also be given a Researcher Identification Card which must be kept on you at all times; this card is not transferable to a third party. It will include your project registration number and will specify the validity in terms of protected areas and time frames as per the project registration.

To encourage scientists to pursue research in EKZNW protected areas, the registration, permitting and reporting processes have been streamlined.

• Download Data Request Form
• Download Project Registration and Scientific Collection Permit application form
• Download Annual Research Project Progress/Final Report format
• Download Biodiversity database data import template

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife`s expectations of researchers and favourable factors in relation to registration of research proposals

Our requirements from you will be spelled out during the registration process. In summary we would generally look more favourably on proposals that address the following:

• Commitment to employing local field assistants

• Protected areas are important job creaters in rural areas, and it is important that local people benefit from opportunities provided by protected areas

• Upholding of high ethical standards and rigorous application of the scientific method

• Proposals from academic institutions must have been passed by the relevant ethics committees

• Research design should have been critically reviewed by a statistician so that confidence can be placed in the results

• Commitment to present research results and recommendations to protected area management teams

• EKZNW host an annual Symposium of Contemporary Conservation Practice at which researchers are encouraged to present results and recommendations

• Researchers or their supervisors are required to present results and any management recommendations to the management teams of the relevant protected areas

• Publication of findings wherever possible (scientific and popular articles)

• Copies of all theses, reports and publications must be made available to EKZNW

• We encourage the publication of research findings in popular and semi-popular publications to make the results more accessible to a wider audience

• Signing of a contract

• This contract will specify inter alia rules with respect to behaviour, communication and ownership of data

• Prompt submission of research progress reports

• A research progress report must be submitted to the respective Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife project coordinator for the period 1 April – 31 March each year of registration by 30 April in that same year

• Acknowledgement of support received from EKZNW in all publications/reports

• We expect all publications and popular articles to name the protected areas in which the research was conducted and to acknowledge the support received from EKZNW