Research

Research in the Department is founded on applying sound interdisciplinary principle as well as methodologically diverse scientific approaches relevant to both the natural and social sciences, in order to address key geographical and environmental questions. Much of our research has an applied, policy relevant focus applicable to a developing country context. With regards to the areas of focus, the specific research areas and the responsible staff members are as follows:

Urban and Rural Geography

  • Urbanization and settlement patterns
  • Urban sustainability
  • Greening cities
  • Waste management
  • Agricultural geography, sustainability and food security

Environmental Change and Conservation

  • Climate science/modelling
  • Climate change (adaptation and mitigation); trend analysis
  • Land use and land cover change
  • People, Protected areas and conservation
  • Biogeography

Human and social geography

  • Disease patterns
  • Crime geography
  • Population and settlement geography
  • Economic geography
  • Socio-economic Analysis and Surveys

Geomorphology and Archaeology

  • Pure and applied wetland geomorphology, rehabilitation and management
  • Soil erosion and land degradation and appropriate rehabilitation
  • Archaeology and preservation/conservation of heritage sites
  • Cave geomorphology
  • Geoarchaeology

Geospatial Information Science

  • Applied Geographic information systems (GIS)/Remote Sensing (RS)
  • Machine learning and GIS/RS
  • Environmental and spatial modelling
  • Cartography and map production techniques