Staff Profiles

National Diploma Nature Conservation (Pretoria Tech)

BSc (Botany and Grassland Science)

BSC (Hons)

MSc

PhD

Having developed a love for African wildlife during my teenage years spent in the Timbavati Game Reserve on the edge of Kruger with my fathers game lodge business I started my career with a Diploma in Nature Conservation at Pretoria Tech followed by a BSc and Hons at UKZN in Pietermaritzburg. My MSc was on rangeland science in Zululand followed by a PhD on plant ecology, both at UKZN. Following a year of Post Doc work at UKZN I was employed as a Post Doc with Colorado State University under Alan Knapp on a large inter-continental project (Savanna Convergence Experiment) studying the effects of grazing and fire on savannas at the Ukulinga Long-Term experiments at Pietermaritzburg, at the Satara Long-Term burning experiments in central Kruger National Park and at Konza Prairie LTER in Kansas in 2004. This work continued until 2009 when I was employed as a rangeland ecologist at the Okavango Research Institute (ORI) in Maun Botswana and I have been in this position now for 11 years. My key research interests in Botswana have been on various aspects of rangeland ecology, as well as herbivore ecology. In the last few years I have become increasingly interested in conservation science, especially on conservation through local communities (CBNRM) and the problems associated with centralised government control of conservation.

Rangeland ecology

Herbivore ecology

Conservation Science

Main supervisor, Tshephang Keemekae (MPhil rangeland ecology)

Co-supervisor, Mogae Makonyela (MPhil local communities in conservation)

Co-supervisor, Ben Heermans (PhD community conservation)