Wilder Rangelands Leadership Team
Associate Prof. Mariska te Beest
Associate Prof. Mariska te Beest
Associate Prof. Mariska te Beest
Mariska is an Associate Professor at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, and a Research Associate at the African Centre for Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University. Her work focuses on the interactions between plants, ecosystems and people.
Prof. Graham Kerley
Associate Prof. Mariska te Beest
Associate Prof. Mariska te Beest
Graham is a Professor at Nelson Mandela University and leads the Centre for African Conservation Ecology. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of wildlife ecology, particularly in relation to herbivore dynamics, predator-prey interactions and the relationships between species and their habitats, providing valuable insights into the conservation of biodiversity.
Associate Prof. Joris Cromsigt
Associate Prof. Mariska te Beest
Associate Prof. Joris Cromsigt
Joris is an Associate Professor at SLU and the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University. He is also an Honorary Professor at Nelson Mandela University. His work focuses on understanding how large mammals shape the world around us and working with stakeholders to find ways for humans and other mammals to coexist.
Current team members
Dr. Robyn Nicolay
Mr. Phumlani Zwane
Dr. Robyn Nicolay
Robyn joined us as a postdoctoral researcher in 2024 and studies how different rangeland uses (conservation, livestock production and forestry) affect soil carbon stabilization in South African montane grasslands.
Ms. Michelle Louw
Mr. Phumlani Zwane
Dr. Robyn Nicolay
Michelle started her PhD with us in 2023, focusing on biodiversity-carbon linkages in South African montane grasslands across different land uses (conservation, livestock production and forestry).
Mr. Phumlani Zwane
Mr. Phumlani Zwane
Mr. Phumlani Zwane
Phumlani has worked as field technician in our projects for about 10 years now. He masters diverse ecological field techniques and is a brilliant field botanist.
Mr Victor Trouw
As a PhD student, Victor looks at the roles of fire and grazing on the ecosystem functioning of South African and Dutch grasslands, with an emphasis on soil nutrients and carbon.
Alumni team members
Dr. Steven McGregor
Dr. Lavhelesani Simba
Dr. Lavhelesani Simba
Steve successfully defended his PhD thesis during late 2024. His thesis looked at effects of wild endemic grazers in South African montane grasslands on climate drivers, soil carbon and vegetation albedo.
Dr. Lavhelesani Simba
Dr. Lavhelesani Simba
Dr. Lavhelesani Simba
Lavhe was a postdoctoral researcher in the program between 2021-2023, contributing to the conceptual development and interdisciplinary angles of Wilder Rangelands through a Theory of Change approach. As an entomologist, she also looked into the role of insects in wilder rangelands.
Dr. Olli Hyvärinen
Dr. Lavhelesani Simba
Dr. Olli Hyvärinen
Between 2018 and 2022, Olli was among the first PhD students of Wilder Rangelands. He looked at the role of very large herbivores, so-called megaherbivores, for the functioning of wilder rangelands, and climate drivers (soil carbon and vegetation albedo) specifically.