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21 April 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Striving to make a difference in the field of biodiversity conservation, Dr Katlego Mashiane decided to pursue a PhD in Geography, focusing on the spatial modelling of grassland diversity and nutrients in subalpine environments. He received his PhD during the recent April graduation ceremonies on the Qwaqwa Campus.

In the small village of Ga-Mabotia about 25 km outside of Polokwane, Dr Katlego Mashiane grew up, surrounded by rocky mountains characterised by boulder outcrops, where he interacted with nature from an early age. 

He recently obtained his PhD, majoring in Geography, from the University of the Free State (UFS), which was conferred on him during the April graduation ceremonies that took place on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus. The title of his dissertation is Grass nutrients estimation as an Indicator of rangeland quality using satellite remote.

Predicting the presence of biodiversity and nutrients in an area

Based on the principle that diverse grasslands tend to perform better, environmental changes threaten the resilience and services these grassland ecosystems provide. The study examined how many different types of plants and animals can be found at a particular place to enhance our understanding of the ecosystem’s value to humans, and that biodiversity loss will reduce these ecosystem services. Focusing on spatial modelling of grassland diversity, Dr Mashiane specifically investigated the influence of topography and remotely sensed satellite data on species richness and diversity in subalpine environments, and how they are affected by the availability of grass species. To determine this, he used a random forest machine-learning algorithm to find the best information in the data that could be used to estimate the levels of species richness, diversity, and nitrogen in a protected national conservation park. 

His study discovered that some data types – such as the near-infrared variable and certain vegetation data (EVI and SAVI) – were especially useful for determining the number and variety of species in a certain area. With this information, scientists can create models that predict the presence of different types of biodiversity and nutrients in an area.

Playing a key role in protecting our natural assets

Equipped with this knowledge, one will be able to understand how to protect and preserve different types of biodiversity and promote the nutritional value of both plants and animals in the environment. “Land managers could use this information for conservation strategies,” states Dr Mashiane, who decided to pursue this study because he was curious about how environmental changes will affect species.

“Grasslands provide important ecosystem services underpinning human well-being, and therefore warrant our protection; I would like to play a role in protecting our natural assets and contribute to understanding our biomes, especially in the context of global change,” he says.

In the next five years, Dr Mashiane plans to pursue further research and mentor other students in his field of study.

News Archive

Education bursaries awarded to 180 UFS students
2007-08-24

 

At the awarding ceremony were, from the left: Prof. Steve Niemann (Head: School of Education at the UFS), Kaizer Mosupeng (first-year student in Education), Prof. Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS), Mr Enver Surty (Deputy Minister of Education), Danielle Nel (third-year Education student) and Mr Tebogo Lioma (Deputy Director General of the Free State Department of Education).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Education bursaries awarded to 180 UFS students

The Department of Education awarded 180 Fundza Lushaka Bursaries to students in education at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The bursaries were handed to the students today by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Enver Surty during a function held on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

The Fundza Lushaka Bursary Programme is a multi-year programme that promotes teaching in public schools. The bursaries, valued at R40 000 each, enable students to complete a full teaching qualification in an area of national priority. The recipients are required to teach at a school or provincial education department for the same number of years that they receive the bursary.

“The programme was implemented in recognition and acknowledgement of the educators in South Africa. All of you sitting here today should regard yourselves as nation builders as you will be helping to build communities and a caring society. Therefore it is imperative that you must be committed to teaching and have an interest in working with young people when taking up this bursary,” said Mr Surty.

Mr Surty said the skills required for teachers of today are much different than in the past. “You would be teaching in an environment with mixed cultures and language and must be able to adapt and be willing to contribute to a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and diverse South African society,” said Mr Surty.

According to Mr Surty, the national priority areas include among others African languages, English, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information and Computer Application Technology. Although the bursary programme is non-racial, special attention was given to the awarding of the bursaries to women. At the UFS 58% of the bursars are female students, while 58% are black and 42% white students.

Prof. Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, said the institution was worried about the small number of students who showed interest in the field of education a while ago. “Since the implementation of the bursary programme we have seen a turn-around in the registration of students in education, which is an extremely positive sign,” said Prof. Fourie.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
24 August 2007
 

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