Page 64 - State of Biodiversity 2023-2024

62 STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2023/2024
Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP)
Smiso Bhengu
Email: Smiso.Bhengu@durban.gov.za
Figure 1: UKZN Students and eThekwini Municipality during the annual DRAP Student Symposium at Buffelsdraai Training Centre.
The Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP) is a transdisciplinary research partnership between the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and eThekwini Municipality (EM). Through D’RAP, collaborative and transdisciplinary research is conducted within focused research programmes within the eThekwini Municipal area in a range of disciplines. This umbrella research partnership (DRAP) is providing a platform for city officials and academics to work together in addressing different
challenges; and it has helped to bridge the gap between science, policy, and action. This unique partnership has yielded positive results to both UKZN and eThekwini Municipality. Such novel institutional partnerships are important for generating knowledge and learning so as to address the gap between scientific research, policy development and management within a local government.