Excessive red tape is strangling biodiversity research in South Africa

• Graham J. Alexander,
• Krystal A. Tolley,
• Bryan Maritz,
• Andrew McKechnie,
• Paul Manger,
• Robert L. Thomson,
• Carsten Schradin,
• Andrea Fuller,
• Leith Meyer,
• Robyn S. Hetem,
• Michael Cherry,
• Werner Conradie,
• Aaron M. Bauer,
• David Maphisa,
• Justin O'Riain,
• Daniel M. Parker,
• Musa C. Mlambo,
• Gary Bronner,
• Kim Madikiza,
• Adriaan Engelbrecht,
• Alan T.K. Lee,
• Bettine Jansen van Vuuren,
• Tshifhiwa G. Mandiwana-Neudani,
• Darren Pietersen,
• Jan A. Venter,
• Michael J. Somers,
• Rob Slotow,
• W. Maartin Strauss,
• Marc S. Humphries,
• Peter G. Ryan,
• Graham I.H. Kerley

Affiliations

Graham J. Alexander

School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Krystal A. Tolley

1.School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa

Bryan Maritz

Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Andrew McKechnie

1.South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa; 2.Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Paul Manger

School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Robert L. Thomson

FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Carsten Schradin

1.School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.IPHC, CNRS, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

Andrea Fuller

1.Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.Department of Paraclinical Sciences and Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Leith Meyer

1.Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 2.Department of Paraclinical Sciences and Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Robyn S. Hetem

School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Michael Cherry

Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Werner Conradie

1.Port Elizabeth Museum (Bayworld), Port Elizabeth, South Africa; 2.Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa

Aaron M. Bauer

Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA

David Maphisa

1.South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Justin O'Riain

Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Daniel M. Parker

1.School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela, South Africa; 2.Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa

Musa C. Mlambo

1.Department of Freshwater Invertebrates, Albany Museum, Makhanda, South Africa; 2.Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa

Gary Bronner

Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Kim Madikiza

School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Adriaan Engelbrecht

Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Alan T.K. Lee

1.FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Centre for Functional Biodiversity, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Bettine Jansen van Vuuren

Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

Tshifhiwa G. Mandiwana-Neudani

Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa

Darren Pietersen

Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Jan A. Venter

Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa

Michael J. Somers

Mammal Research Institute, Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Rob Slotow

School of Life Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

W. Maartin Strauss

Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

Marc S. Humphries

School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Peter G. Ryan

FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Graham I.H. Kerley

Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa