Brief Description of Research Camille Fritsch (MSc Candidate) Behaviour and habitat use of hippopotamus at Ndumo BA Environmental Science (University of Game Reserve. This includes their interactions with Nile California, Santa Barbara) crocodiles. Email: camille.jacques10@gmail.com Supervisor Prof Colleen Downs Theme: Mammalian terrestrial vertebrates – ecology and conservation Brief Description of Research Ecological risk assessment of the responses of Nombuso Gongo (MSc Candidate) Macrobenthos community to environmental variable changes in the Thukela Estuary. BSc Environmental Sciences (University of In this study, the Relative Risk Method (RRM) will be KwaZulu-Natal) implemented to conduct an ecological risk assessment of BSc Hons Ecological Sciences (University of multiple stressors to selected ecological end points to the KwaZulu-Natal) wellbeing of macrobenthos community in the Thukela estuary by assessing their responses to changes in water Email: gyedwa@yahoo.com quality, flows and habitat due to various land uses in the catchment. The outcomes of this study will provide managers and stakeholders with information on how to reduce risks from the stressors and also increase efforts at balancing the use and protection of the Thukela Estuary resources. Supervisor(s) Dr G O’Brien, Prof CT Downs Theme: Effect of changing land use- rivers
Camille Fritsch (MSc Candidate) BA Environmental Science (University of California, Santa Barbara) Email: camille.jacques10@gmail.com Brief Description of Research Behaviour and habitat use of hippopotamus at Ndumo Game Reserve. This includes their interactions with Nile crocodiles. Supervisor Prof Colleen Downs Theme: Mammalian terrestrial vertebrates – ecology and conservation Nombuso Gongo (MSc Candidate) BSc Environmental Sciences (University of KwaZulu-Natal) BSc Hons Ecological Sciences (University of KwaZulu-Natal) Email: gyedwa@yahoo.com Brief Description of Research Ecological risk assessment of the responses of Macrobenthos community to environmental variable changes in the Thukela Estuary. In this study, the Relative Risk Method (RRM) will be implemented to conduct an ecological risk assessment of multiple stressors to selected ecological end points to the wellbeing of macrobenthos community in the Thukela estuary by assessing their responses to changes in water quality, flows and habitat due to various land uses in the catchment. The outcomes of this study will provide managers and stakeholders with information on how to reduce risks from the stressors and also increase efforts at balancing the use and protection of the Thukela Estuary resources. Supervisor(s) Dr G O’Brien, Prof CT Downs Theme: Effect of changing land use- rivers
PG%20Candidates%202017_Downs.docx