Conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural
resources are greatest challenges that societies face nowadays. This is
of special concern for most African countries, as endemic poverty, low
education rates and lack of technological capacity affect the success of
strategies toward sustainable development and management of natural
resources and heritage.
Complying with its internationalization strategy, CIBIO-InBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO Associated Laboratory), headquartered in the University of Porto, established a collaborative Network of TwinLabs in Southern Africa, including African Portuguese-speaking countries (Angola and Mozambique) and other neighbouring countries of official English language (Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa), with the aim of jointly develop research, advanced training and capacity building.