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It is time for environmental scientists to lead society on new and sustainable pathways. However, defining these pathways will be one of those “wicked problems”, says conservation scientist and principal CSIR researcher Dr Belinda Reyers, who admits that the intricate complexities of the dependencies between people and nature are what interests her most.
The challenge of achieving social and economic development objectives within the constraints of a finite environment and its resources are enormous. However, with the interdisciplinary expertise available at the CSIR, she is well placed to tackle these challenges.
“Climate and environmental scientists have done much to show that our current pathways will take us to an untenable future. As scientists we now have to lead the way to more acceptable and sustainable futures,” she says.
While this is easier said than done, Reyers believes that society, decision-makers and scientists are working more closely together these days. The excellent work of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) that was carried forward by, among others, Al Gore, the Stern Report and the Kyoto Protocol, is an example of increasing coverage, public interest and government support for science.
“At local and national scales we are seeing an increasing interest and engagement by people on more sustainable futures. In our work we’re finding that civil society, resource managers and decision-makers are interested and want to work with us,” she says.
However, being an environmental scientist also means being satisfied with slow and sometimes painful progress.
“After we completed our research and conservation plans for the Prince Edwards Islands in Antarctica, it took another three years of discussion and workshops before the plan was finally gazetted this year. This project highlighted the importance of collaboration with a team of experts from a wide variety of organisations,” she explains.
In May this year a proposal to create South Africa’s first off-shore marine protected area around the Prince Edward Islands was gazetted by the then Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism for comment. It will be one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. Reyers, together with marine conservation experts Dr Mandy Lombard from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Dr Deon Nel from WWF-SA, collaborated on this multi-disciplinary project sponsored by Sanlam.
As one of only a few women principal scientists at the CSIR, Reyers is excited about the great people she is privileged to work with and the challenging, relevant and stimulating working environment offered by the CSIR.
“I’m interested in everything!” she laughs. And that’s maybe why she made the career shift from being an academic to an applied scientist.
“At school everybody interested in animals or nature was told to study veterinary science. After a year at university I realised that I was interested in the bigger picture. Fortunately I made this realisation at the same time that universities started offering applied courses like ecology and conservation biology, so I ended up with a PhD in conservation biology.”
An absolute highlight of her career so far has been her participation as a young scientist in the international Millennium Ecosystem Assessment that was called for by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2000. The aim of the project was to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and to establish the scientific base for actions needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being.
“The opportunity to come straight from my PhD studies to working with over a thousand scientists from across disciplines and the globe was fantastic. And on top of that I saw the world - from Panama, Brazil and Malaysia to the Netherlands, Egypt and the Czech Republic.”
This exposure, the ideas and networks formed were all critical to her career today at the CSIR where she is research leader of biodiversity and ecosystems services in Stellenbosch.
“It’s always been hard for me to say no to exciting opportunities. I think it is important for a scientist to know what motivates you and makes you happy and fulfilled and then finding your research niche,” she says.
As for now, she is in the best place possible. “Science is where we develop new ideas and technologies, as well as highly skilled people needed to change the way we will be in the future. So for people interested in changing the course of history – science is the best place to be!”
News contributed by: Wiida Basson ,CSIR Communication
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