Space4Giants: Safeguarding Space for Giants: building sustainable infrastructure for the benefit of nature and people

Project: Research project (funded)Research

Project Details

Description

Space4Giants is a nature conservation and development research project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon2020 program that broadly aims to promote sustainability in infrastructure development for the benefit of nature and people. Space4Giants’ research is anchored on FOUR pillars driven by the need to enhance the coexistence among the terrestrial giants. Rapidly expanding transportation INFRASTRUCTURE is estimated to add 25 million kilometres of new infrastructure by 2050, and 90% of which, including ports, pipelines, roads, and railways, is expected to occur in Africa and Asia. Although there are many positives, these developments present potential negative outcomes for; NATURE and PEOPLE, including loss of land and wildlife habitats, and disturbance and creation of barriers to the movement and migration of larger mammals such as elephants. These terrestrial giants have large resource needs requiring large and contiguous spaces for coexistence and survival. Using the novel participatory stakeholder engagement tool; the KESHO land-use scenario, the project works with a wide range of stakeholders to assess the interactions between infrastructure development, biodiversity conservation and human use of natural resources under diverse land use scenarios in Kenya. . The Space4Giants outcomes will help to inform SUSTAINABILITY in future nature conservation and development in Kenya with the potential to be applied across the Global South.

Layman's description

Transport infrastructure in Africa and Asia will increase significantly in the future in line with the global demand. Despite its economic benefits, this growth will have a major effect on both people and the natural environment; for example, large species like elephants that require wide open spaces to adapt to the future impacts of climate change. The EU-funded Space4Giants project works to assess the impact of transport infrastructure and changing human populations on Kenya's southern rangelands, which is home to the country's largest elephant population. Space4Giants will support conservation efforts by developing the tools that will be used to understand and mitigate the socio-ecological and environmental impacts of linear infrastructure in Kenya, with the potential to be applied across the Global South.
Short titleSpace4Giants
AcronymS4G
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date4/01/2217/05/23

Funding

  • EUROPEAN COMMISSION: £174,218.69