Homini’Karst Joint Research Programme – Hominins in Botswana (2023-2027)

In short

Homini’Karst is a Joint Research Programme funded by the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) and led by Laurent Bruxelles (IFAS-Research, CNRS). Bringing together a multidisciplinary team of students and researchers from Botswana, France and South Africa, the programme aims to strengthen existing collaborations and respond to training issues, through the identification and the excavation of fossil-bearing caves in the north-western region of Botswana, to better understand human evolution and the appearance of the genus Homo.

Why?

To date, two main regions in Africa are considered “cradle of humankind“,  where fossiliferous sites yielded ancient hominins, including Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo, covering the period of appearance of the genus Homo: the Great East African Rift and the South African karsts. These two regions, separated by approximately 4000km, show a parallel but complementary recording of this long evolutionary process.

However, the region between the Great East African Rift and the South African karst remains little known meanwhile hominins most likely occupied this area. This lack of research represents an important scientific gap in understanding the distribution of Australopithecus and Paranthropus across the continent, as well as the relationships between these two species and their connection to the emergence of the genus Homo.

Where?

Based on previous surveying project (HOMME project in Malawi and Mozambique, HoN project in Namibia), the most favorable areas for the discovery of ancient hominin fossils were identified in the north-western part of Botswan: the Aha Hills, a series of hills straddling Namibia and Botswana, and the nearby Gcwihaba Hills and Koanaka Hills.

Map showing locations of the Great East African Rift (black lines) and the main plaeoanthropological sites found within it (red dots), as well as the main plaeoanthropological sites documented in Southern African karst systems (blue dots). Purple circles indicate location of current research programs (HON and HOMME). © L. Bruxelles

What?

The objectives of the Homini’Karst project are:

• Scientific: Identification and excavation of the Aha Hills, the Gcwihaba Hills and the Koanaka Hills, in order to identify hominid fossils. Such discoveries would position Botswana among the few countries recognised as harboring a fragment of the “Cradle of Humankind”;
• Educational: Provision of training opportunities in the various specialties represented within the research team, for members of the Botswana National Museum, students from the University of Botswana, and for PhD students participationg in the programme;
• Cultural: Promotion of the Aha Hills, Gcwihaba Hills and Koanaka Hills, with the objective of supporting their nomination on the UNESCO World Heritage List;
• Social: Dissemination of knowledge about these sites to generate additional tourist interest and contribute to the income of communities living in these regions.

Who?

The project is led by Laurent Bruxelles, geoarchaeologist, at IFAS-Research, CNRS.

More on Homini’Karst

> The programme won the 2025 France Habe Prize, by the International Union of Speleology.

> Série documentaire de TF1 “Sur les traces de nos ancêtres au Botswana” (in French)