KOEDOE

Koedoe is a peer-reviewed, open access journal, published since 1958, which promotes protected area and biodiversity science and conservation in Africa. Koedoe, with its subtitle ‘African Protected Area Conservation and Science’, aims to provide a forum for all aspects of protected area science and management in order to facilitate integration and shared learning. Koedoe publishes original papers on all aspects of conservation science, as well as on policy and management-related issues. This journal provides innovative, exciting and baseline scientific information on many conservation areas within South Africa, as well as throughout the African continent. With its platform in the open access arena, Koedoe is becoming the journal of choice for conservation scientists, ecologists, biologists and protected area practitioners across Africa. We feature research all forms of protected areas, from large state national parks, to small regional and local game and nature reserves, cultural and environmental heritage sites, private conservation endeavours and general aspects related to biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, we promote shared learning through the integration of evidence-based policy and management-relevant science across a variety of settings in Africa and beyond. To this end, we have introduced a new structured abstract format that concludes with a 50-word summary statement entitled ‘Conservation implications’, in which authors succinctly highlight the core outcome of their research and the implications thereof for conservation practice. Disseminating reliable scientific and policy information is increasingly vital as global biodiversity faces increasing pressures and protected areas become more important in maintaining habitats, species, ecosystem services and in ensuring environmental resilience. However, the protected areas estate is increasingly fragmented under pressure from development and other global environmental change drivers. Africa’s unique socio-ecological systems, together with some of the largest protected areas in the world, are of global importance. Moreover, tourism initiatives are frequently centred on protected areas, thus providing economic stimulus in otherwise marginalised regions. Koedoe works towards understanding, documenting and mitigating the negative influences of human development on conservation areas within the context of complex socio-ecological interactions. Koedoe publishes stimulating original research, essays, short communications on issues of general interest, in-depth and critical reviews, book reviews on new releases, as well as checklists, which form the foundation on which further science and management is developed.