Member Profile
Membership type: full
Phumza Simelane
Country of origin: South Africa Currently in: South Africa, Cape Town General field of specialization: Biological Systems and Organisms-
Degrees
2012 Doctorate Biological Systems and Organisms -
Current Research Activities
Biological Systems and Organisms
Publications resulting from Research:
Journal Articles
Ntshotsho, P., Esler, K. J. & Reyers, B. 2015. Identifying challenges to building an evidence base in restoration practice. Sustainability 7: 15871-15881. doi:10.3390/su71215788
Ntshotsho, P., Prozesky, H. E., Esler, K. J. & Reyers, B. 2015. What drives the use of scientific evidence in decision making? The case of the South African Working for Water programme. Biological Conservation 184: 136-144.
Trabucchi, M., Ntshotsho, P., O'Farrell, P. & Comín, F. A. 2012. Ecosystem service trends in basin-scale restoration initiatives: A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 111: 18-23.
Ntshotsho, P., Reyers, B. & Esler, K. J. 2012. No evidence-based restoration without a sound evidence base: a reply to Guldemond et al., Restoration Ecology, 20: 158-159.
Ntshotsho, P., Reyers, B. & Esler, K. J. 2011. Assessing the evidence base for restoration in South Africa. Restoration Ecology, 19: 578-586.
Ntshotsho, P., van Aarde, R. J., Nicolson, S. W. & Jackson, T. P. 2004. Renal physiology of two southern African Mastomys species (Rodentia: Muridae): a salt-loading experiment to assess concentrating ability. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part A, 139: 441-447.
Technical reports
Ntshotsho, P., Le Maitre, D., Yapi, T. & Sitas, N. 2015. Exploring the success of invasive alien plant clearing projects of the Working for Water programme. Report number CSIR/NRE/ECOS/ER/2016/0014/B, CSIR, Stellenbosch.
Ntshotsho, P. & Yapi, T. 2014. An assessment of the feasibility of establishing a restoration network in South Africa. Report number CSIR/NRE/ECOS/ER/2014/0021/A, CSIR, Stellenbosch.
van Wilgen, B.W., Reyers, B.,Duncan, C., Smith, T.J., Ntshotsho, P. & Wannenburgh, A., 2008. Environmental poverty relief programs: Poverty relief programs and ecosystem restoration: enhancing the quality of life of South Africans. In: Promoting Human Well-Being While Protecting Biodiversity: Some Innovative Approaches From Southern Africa. Report Number CSIR/NRE/ECO/ER/2008/0122/C, CSIR, Stellenbosch.
Levendal, M., Le Maitre, D.C., van Wilgen, B.W. & Ntshotsho, P. 2008. The Development of Protocols for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Benefits Arising from the Working for Water Program. Report number CSIR/NRE/ECO/ER/2008/0066/C, CSIR, Stellenbosch.
Fowkes, S., Fowkes, J., Ntshotsho, P., van der Venter, H. & Barwell, L. 2007. Proposed National Youth Cadet Programme: Feasibility Study Report. CSIR/NRE/RBSD/ER/2007/0113/C
van Aarde, R. J., Wassenaar, T. D. & Ntshotsho, P. 2003. Coastal dune rehabilitation by Richards Bay Minerals as a carbon sequestration initiative. Conservation Ecology Research Unit (CERU) Technical Report 15.
Popular articles
Ntshotsho P., Forsyth G., Le Maitre D., Sitas N. & Yapi T. 2015. Two decades of managing invasive alien plants: Exploring Working for Water success stories. ScienceScope – a publication of the CSIR. Page 100.
Ntshotsho P. 2012. Focus on fixing ecosystems. Mail & Guardian, Getting Ahead 2 November 2012. Page 5.
Ntshotsho P. 2012. Healing Earth’s damaged ecosystems. New Voices in Science 2012: 24 Popular Science Stories. Page 18. Hansa Print, Stellenbosch, South Africa. URL: www.sun.ac.za/international/assets/downloads/support_skills/new_voices_in_science_2012.pdf
Theses
Ntshotsho, P. 2012. Towards evidence-based ecological restoration in South Africa. PhD dissertation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Ntshotsho, P. 2006. Carbon sequestration on the subtropical dunes of South Africa: a comparison between native regenerating ecosystems and exotic plantations. MSc thesis, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Current profession
Current professional activities type:ResearchI currently work as a researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Stellenbosch, South Africa. My work focuses on exploring a transdisciplinary path to ecological restoration, with specific emphasis on how to do restoration effectively through the generation and use of evidence, involving traditionally divergent knowledge bases and approaches. I have learned, with considerable humility, that “science” alone is not enough to answer the world’s complex problems. There is much value in incorporating other ways of knowing and doing, and not marginalising some approaches because they are perceived as belonging to the “soft sciences”. As such, I have modified how I approach my work, consciously engaging with stakeholders such as decision makers and beneficiaries of environmental management interventions, in an effort to do relevant science and improve the incorporation of scientific findings in environmental management policy. Although I often call myself a restoration ecologist, I regard myself as a transdisciplinarity scholar, motivated to work in the science-society-policy space.
Presentation given
2015Two decades of managing invasive alien plants: Exploring Working for Water success storiesCSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South AfricaEvent: 5th CSIR Biennial Conference2013What determines the use of science in invasive alien plant management? A case of the Working for Water ProgrammeMadison, Wisconsin, USAEvent: SER 2013 - 5th World Conference on Ecological Restoration2011Healing Earth’s damaged ecosystems effectively.STIAS, Stellenbosch, South Africa.Event: New Voices in Science - Inaugural PhD colloquium of Stellenbosch University2011Towards evidence-based restoration: a case study of South AfricaZoology Department, University of Cambridge, United KingdomEvent: 11th Student Conference on Conservation Science2011Towards evidence-based restoration: the essential componentsMerida, Yucatan, MexicoEvent: SER 2011 – 4th World Conference on Ecological Restoration2010Evidence-based restoration: a tool for biodiversity conservationDiep in Die Berg Functions and Conference Centre, Pretoria, South AfricaEvent: ASSAf-DST-NRF First Annual South African Young Scientists’ Conference
