Advancing sustainability science in South Africa

Abstract

Science has considerable potential to contribute to sustainable development. Much of this potential remains latent, however, due to the divisions that exist within and between the producers of scientific information and the users of this and other sources of knowledge. A response to this situation has seen the emergence of 'sustainability science', which aims to overcome divisions between knowledge sources of various forms, including the social and natural sciences and alternative epistemologies that warrant acknowledgement. We review the key defining characteristics of sustainability science, and describe some examples of science-based South African initiatives, aimed at promoting sustainable development, that incorporate many of these characteristics. We suggest that, with some reinforcement of their sustainability science base, these examples provide good templates for broader application. To retain the experience gained through such projects and to build organizational memory, there is a strong case for the establishment of transdisciplinary centres for sustainability science in South Africa.