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Leila Nefdt

I am Leila Nefdt, from Cape Town. I have always been drawn to nature, especially the marine environment. My love and curiosity for the deep blue sea has led me to become a marine biologist. I completed my BSc undergraduate and Honours degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of the Western Cape. Following that, I then took a year to complete a DST-NRF Internship through the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), specifically at the Egagasini Node in Cape Town where we worked closely with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and Iziko Museum. Our work at SAEON, specifically looked at observing and understanding marine offshore systems and this is where my passion for offshore benthic ecosystems came into existence. The internship was a huge steppingstone for me and created a platform for me to learn, network and discover what I am truly passionate about. 
I am both passionate about taking care of our oceans and empowering the youth by giving back what I have learnt through my studies and experiences over the last few years. This has led me to become involved through volunteering at the Two Oceans Aquarium, through various beach clean ups, education outreach activities run by various institutions and ocean initiatives. My most recent and current involvement is with the NGO called Sea the Bigger Picture, where I am volunteering my time through clean ups and their Defenders of the Blue programme. We aim to uplift and encourage the younger generation by teaching them to take care of the ocean by learning to understand and respect it and in doing so, we hope that they can pass on the knowledge and share their experiences with the rest of their communities.
I am currently pursuing a MSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Cape Town, focusing on offshore marine benthic ecology. My research focuses on using underwater imagery taken from the Deep Secrets Cruise (run by the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme) to 1) classify marine offshore benthic ecosystems along the continental shelf edge and slope off the south coast of southern Africa and 2) set conservation targets for these ecosystems. In doing so, we aim to increase offshore marine research capacity, our knowledge base and understanding of our offshore environment so that we can better inform management practices as well as protect these areas. 

Educating learners at SciFest in Grahamstown during her internship with SAEON in 2017.


Leila Nefdt, MSc UCT



Comments

  1. Thomas MtontsiAugust 1, 2020 at 5:02 AM

    Giving back comes with a great sense of fulfillment. Hope you would continue to invest in that...as I think it certainly has value in self reassurance.

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    Replies
    1. Leila NefdtAugust 4, 2020 at 11:28 PM

      Aaw Tommie, that's a definite! You are one of my inspirations, you know that! I absolutely love being able to give back and look forward to getting out there again!

      Delete

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