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Build science in Africa

To cope with climate change and population growth, the continent urgently needs more home-grown researchers, argue Anagaw Atickem, Nils Chr. Stenseth and colleagues.
  1. Anagaw Atickem

    1. Anagaw Atickem is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Zoological Sciences at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and is associated with the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Norway.

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  2. Nils Chr. Stenseth

    1. Nils Chr. Stenseth is professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo, Norway; honorary professor in the Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; and an elected member of the World Academy of Sciences.

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  3. Peter J. Fashing

    1. Peter J. Fashing is professor in the Department of Anthropology and in the Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, USA, and is associated with the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Norway.

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  4. Nga Nguyen

    1. Nga Nguyen is professor in the Department of Anthropology and in the Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, USA, and is associated with the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Norway.

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  5. Colin A. Chapman

    1. Colin A. Chapman is professor in the Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Canada, and is associated with the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, George Washington University, USA; the Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, China; and the School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

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  6. Afework Bekele

    1. Afework Bekele is professor in the Department of Zoological Science at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; and is associated with the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Norway.

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  7. Addisu Mekonnen

    1. Addisu Mekonnen is postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Norway; and is associated with the Department of Zoological Science at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

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  8. Patrick A. Omeja

    1. Patrick A. Omeja is director of the Makerere University Biological Field Station, P.O. Box 937, Fort Portal, Uganda.

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  9. Urs Kalbitzer

    1. Urs Kalbitzer is postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Canada.

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Africa’s population is projected to nearly quadruple over the next century1. And that is following a staggering increase over just seven decades — from 200 million people in 1950 to 1.25 billion in 20182. Meanwhile, temperatures across the continent are expected to rise by between 3 °C and 4 °C over the next century, bringing more drought, flooding, conflict and species loss3.

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Nature 570, 297-300 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01885-1

References

  1. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision. Key Findings and Advance Tables (UN, 2015).

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