The bio-economy – the use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge for food, medicine, materials and innovation – is one of the most important frontiers shaping how societies relate to nature, but it also raises pressing questions about equity, justice and ecological sustainability. The Chair in the Environmental and Social Dimensions of the Bio-economy is dedicated to addressing these questions, advancing scholarship on agroecology and food systems, biodiversity conservation, access and benefit sharing, and the rights and livelihoods of indigenous and local communities. Based in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, the Chair has established a leading centre of international expertise on the social and environmental dimensions of the bio-economy, with an increasing focus on transformative approaches that bring to the fore alternative economic and societal perspectives.

Central to the Chair’s approach is engaged scholarship grounded in high ethical standards, the co-creation of knowledge, and long-term relationships of trust with communities who are stewards of biodiversity and holders of related knowledge. The Chair anchors UCT’s participation in the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI), a regional partnership that has provided fertile ground for research and policy engagement on smallholder farming, seed sovereignty and agroecological practice across Southern Africa. Building on this work, the Chair also leads an eight-partner innovative transdisciplinary agroecology research and knowledge network in southern Africa (RAENS).

Through the umbrella programme “Rethinking biodiversity-based economies for conservation and equity”, co-led with People and Plants International, the Chair convenes a globally renowned community of scholars and policymakers working on access and benefit sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Nagoya Protocol. Across its research streams, the Chair tackles inequality, social injustice and environmental degradation, advancing biodiversity governance and natural resource use rooted in equity, sustainability and the just distribution of benefits.