BIPOC Environmentalists

Daniëlle completed her undergraduate and Honours degree in Geographic Information Systems & Environmental Management in 2017 at the University of the Western Cape. She then joined SANParks Garden Route Scientific Services as a conservation research intern in 2018. Daniëlle has a special interest in wetland ecology and Remote Sensing and is currently a Master’s candidate at Stellenbosch University in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. Her research entails testing Remote Sensing methods to efficiently map aquatic-terrestrial ecotones. She also enjoys participation in science communication outreach and environmental education as she believes these are key ways to engage with, and influence the public about conservation and sustainable living. Daniëlle Seymour                                                    ...

Grant van der Heever holds an MSc (Cum Laude) in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of the Western Cape. He is currently employed as an Instrument Technician (“aspiring scientist”) at the South African Environmental Observation Networks (SAEON) Offshore node in Cape Town. Although his role at SAEON spans various disciplines, his main duties are the planning and execution of at-sea surveys, and the operation and maintenance of the sampling equipment used during those surveys. The sampling equipment he operates relies on innovative deep-sea technology to investigate long-term ecological change in the understudied deeper waters of South Africa. These offshore ecosystems are home to remarkable marine plants and animals that sustain a lucrative commercial fishery that has supported South Africans for over centuries. Grant’s future goal is to pursue a PhD which will focus on essential fish habitats, which to put simply, will use underwater camera technology to visually...

Inshaaf Layloo holds a Bsc degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Bsc Hons in Biodiversity and Conservation, where she looked at the diet of Cape cobras. Her findings of her Hons degree was published as well. She is currently completing her Msc at the University of Stellenbosch where she looks at the environmental and economic impact of invasive wasps. If she’s not in the field she’s helping an animal in need. She’s really passionate about educating kids in her area (Manenberg, Cape Flats) about kindness to animals and how to care for them properly. Insahaaf Layloo                                                                            Inshaaf Layloo, MSc            ...

Randal is the Principal Scientist for waste management research at Sasol where he plays an important role in identifying and developing technologies to enhance Sasol’s ability to move waste generated at its facilities, higher up the waste hierarchy.  He is a registered Professional Natural Scientist, and holds a PhD in Zoology from Stellenbosch University, and has published research in scientific journals, presented at many local and international conferences and institutions, and collaborated with researchers from all over the world.  He is active in the wider research community and is the Treasurer for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry SETAC) African geographic unit, and also represented Africa on the European SETAC geographic unit.  He is very passionate about being involved in the community and as Africa representative for ZipTieDomes, supported a project in Kharkams, Namaqualand, that provided eco-shelter geodesic domes for herders.  He enjoy...

Jordan Van Stavel holds a BTech in Oceanography from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She has recently undertaken her MSc in Biological Oceanography with Nelson Mandela University, in collaboration with the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON).   Jordan’s research will focus on the functional roles of the benthic invertebrate epifauna (spineless critters living on the seafloor) inhabiting the offshore regions (> 200 m) of South Africa and the influence of environmental processes on their distribution across different ecosystem types. Globally, and in South Africa, offshore benthic ecosystems are challenging to access and remain poorly understood.   I hope that my research can play even the smallest role in advancing the knowledge and understanding of the importance of benthic biodiversity in sustaining healthy ocean systems.  Jordan Van Stavel  Jordan Van Stavel, MSc

I am a registered Professional Natural Scientist currently working as an Environmental Specialist at the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa in Sasolburg. I graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with an MSc (Zoology). With my background in ecotoxicology I worked at the Rand Water Board as an analyst and later a Scientist in the Hydrobiology laboratory. I then took up a position as Assistant Director Toxicity Monitoring at the then Department of Water Affairs and Forestry before successfully establishing an environmental consulting company that provides technology-based solutions to enhance ecological services by drawing upon expertise in the fields of environmental stress ecology, biodiversity and risk. I enjoy photography and painting and share my birding passion with my husband, who is also a Scientist, and 5 year old; I have a growing interest in snakes, thanks to my 13 year old. Alétia Chapman Alétia Chapman,  Professional Natural Scientist currently working as ...

I obtained a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and then a PhD in Zoology from Nelson Mandela University. My research was focussed on invertebrate diversity and ecology (mostly crabs) in freshwater, estuarine and mangrove habitats. During my postdoc, I spent a year in Mozambique where I realised that our ideas of conservation completely excluded indigenous communities, many of which are great sources of traditional ecological knowledge and rely on the adjacent marine habitats for survival. My research is now focussed on understanding how we can merge scientific and traditional knowledge to have a better understanding of marine systems and how we can use science as a tool to address community-driven concerns. Currently I am a lecturer at Stellenbosch University and I've co-founded Argonaut Science (Pty) Ltd, a small business based on the idea that science and exploration belong to everyone. Aside from work, I enjoy spending my free time around the ocean ...