Tammana Patel SAEON PhD student student at the Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node

I have always been a nature-lover and had a passion for the outdoors. It is for this reason that I chose to pursue a career in Ecology and the Environment. As Confucius says, and one of my favourite quotes, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

I completed an MSc at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, supervised by Dr. Adrian Shrader, Dr. Keenan Stears, and Dr. Ian Little (Endangered Wildlife Trust), examining the population dynamics and relocation success of oribi antelope in KwaZulu-Natal. As oribi are threatened, it is important to understand their population dynamics for effective management of the species. This spurred my interest in mammal population dynamics and their interactions with ecosystems.

I then went on to do an Internship with the Grasslands Node under the supervision of Professor Tim O’Connor during which I conducted a foundation study on the population dynamics of eland in the Drakensberg using a long-term population database maintained by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. This baseline project led to my PhD research, of which I am currently in my final year. I am based at the Grasslands Node and registered at the University of the Witwatersrand, supervised by Professor Tim O’Connor and Professor Francesca Parrini. I am fortunate to be funded through the NRF’s Professional Development Programme. My PhD project is focused around maintaining plant diversity in a montane environment in the face of global change. The general aim is to determine the spatio-temporal patterns of herbivory in relation to the environmental domain of the Drakensberg system.