Partners

South Africa

South African National Biodiversity Institute

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has a broad mandate that is derived from national legislation to undertake research and generate knowledge on South Africa’s rich biodiversity for the benefit and enjoyment of all South Africans. Its report on biological invasions is the only national assessment in the world that focuses specifically on biological invasions and is an important part of South Africa’s global leading position on the issue. The report is compiled in collaboration with the Centre for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University.

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Katelyn Faulkner

Katelyn is a senior scientist and is part of the team that produces the South African National Status Report on Biological Invasions. She is also an extraordinary lecturer at the University of Pretoria. Her work focuses on understanding how, when, and where alien species are introduced to new regions, and what can be done to prevent harmful introductions.

John Wilson

John is a principal scientist and a co-editor of South Africa`s National Status Report on Biological Invasions. He is also a core team member of the Centre for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University. His work focuses on understanding how ecological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic factors interact to shape the current distribution of alien and native organisms, and the consequences of these processes for management and policy.

Tsungai Zengeya

Tsungai is a principal scientist and a co-editor of South Africa`s National Status Report on Biological Invasions. He is also a core team member of the Centre for Invasion Biology at the University of Pretoria. His research interests are understanding the factors that influence the distribution and impact of alien species and how these can inform policy and management of biological invasions.

Stellenbosch University

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Stellenbosch University (SU) is firmly committed to the pursuit of knowledge, research and innovation, in service of society. It provides a world-class centre for learning and development, which is globally relevant, yet rooted in the upliftment and transformation of local communities. Its actions are guided by key values and attributes, and enabled by outstanding staff and students, sound operating systems and a deep sense of purpose. SU is home to an academic community of more than 32 500 students, including more than 3 700 international students from 104 countries. SU has 4 658 permanent and fixed-term contract staff members, including 1 393 academics.

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Cang Hui

Cang is a full Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Research Chair in Mathematical Bioscience. Cang’s research is situated at the interface between mathematics and biosciences. His main interests lie in proposing models and theories for explaining emerging spatio-temporal patterns in ecology. His recent research focuses include unifying the scaling patterns of different biodiversity dimensions and currencies, and modelling the structure and function emergence of ecological networks, especially in the face of global change drivers such as climate change and biological invasions.

Sabrina Kumschick

Sabrina is a Senior Researcher and trained ecologist currently focusing her research on risk analysis and impact assessments of alien and invasive species. She is generally interested in applied and policy-relevant research. Sabrina is a core team member of the Centre for Invasion Biology (CIB), and Chair of the Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) Authority of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Sandra MacFadyen

Sandra is a postdoctoral researcher and landscape ecologist interested in macroscale ecosystem dynamics, with an emphasis on applied spatial statistics for biodiversity conservation. With over 20 years of experience living and working in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, her research focuses on exploring the links between ecological patterns and processes to develop a more holistic understanding of ecosystem dynamics in large protected areas.

Mukhtar Yahaya

Mukhtar Yahaya is a PhD student working on "Biodiversity Informatics and Ecological Modelling" in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University. He focuses on extracting, analysing and interpreting biodiversity data, as well as formulating theoretical models to represent and study underlying processes which drive the dynamics and structures of ecological communities. He uses R programming language to analyse his ecological work. He loves nature documentaries.