Objectives and Goals

1. To contribute intellectually and practically to the sustainable development discourse of the Maloti-Drakensberg as a unique social-ecological system. 
2. To place the poorly studied Southern African montane systems (i.e. those south of the Congo rainforest and Tanzania) IN the continental and global mountain-research-, policy and governance arena. 
3. To facilitate the development of a mountain-research ‘community of practice’ in Africa that will lead African mountain research from within Africa.
4. To inform mountain hypotheses, theories and impacts of global significance from an African perspective, and thus contribute to strengthening the role of the South in the global mountain- research agenda. 

Under these objectives are seven goals: 

1. To drive mountain research and to contribute to research capacity on the Qwaqwa Campus, so that the Qwaqwa Campus will increasingly contribute to the global intellectual arena. 
2. To provide solution-orientated research to our immediate backyard, namely Qwaqwa, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and the Royal Natal National Park. 
3. To facilitate research that encourages the sustainable development of the Maloti-Drakensberg as a unique social-ecological system. 
4. To become a knowledge generator and knowledge interchange for Southern African mountain research. 
5. To encourage ‘blue skies’ research.
6. To take the intellectual lead as an African-based leader in African mountain research. 
7. To become a global player influencing mountain-research theory, practice, and governance.