COVID-19, polycrisis and metamorphosis. A reflection on doing collaborative research in, on and with the Sahel

The start of the Contested Wetlands in Sahelian Drylands research project coincided with the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The subsequent introduction of international travel restrictions to contain the spread of the virus made it difficult for the project researchers to plan and conduct fieldwork in the Sahel as initially envisaged. Faced with these challenges, the project's methodology was quickly redesigned and collaborative researchers (co-researchers) from and based in the countries of research interest were recruited. This chapter has a double purpose; it reports on the research conducted by the co-researchers on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures in the Sahel, and it reflects on the experience of doing collaborative research in times of (poly)crisis. The chapter ends with thoughts and reflections about how the COVID-19 crisis opened an opportunity to critically rethink conventional ways of doing research.