Dr Izak PJ Smit

Dr Izak PJ Smit

Senior Scientist, Garden Route & Frontier Research Unit

Location: Nelson Mandela University (George Campus)

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +27 (0)44 343 1302

Education


Research Focus and Interest

Applied approach at science-management interface

I am a conservation and protected areas scientist, and takes an applied approach towards my research. As a scientist in a conservation agency, I am aware of the importance of relevant, practical and scientifically robust research for informing management of conservation areas. As such, I sometimes describe my job as a “translator” – translating management concerns into research frameworks and questions, and translating research results into management implications and actions.

Research focus

I am particularly interested in studying large-scale spatio-temporal ecological patterns and the underlying causes and effects thereof, and whether the drivers of these patterns are natural or management induced. I often use GIS and remote sensing tools to study these patterns. This approach aims at providing robust science which can be used to inform park management. Increasingly I am also exploring social-ecological systems as conservation without considering humans’ relationship, both positive and negative, with nature is unlikely to succeed in the long run.


Publications

Journal Articles

  • van Wilgen, B.W., Strydom, T., Simms, C., & Smit, I.P.J. (in press). Research, monitoring and reflection as guide to the management of complex ecosystems: The case of fire in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Conservation Science and Practice
  • Smit, I.P.J., Joubert, M., Smith, M.K.S., van Wilgen, N., Strydom, T., Baard, J., & Herbst, M. (in press). Fire as Friend or Foe: The role of scientists in balancing media coverage of fires in National Parks. African Journal of Range and Forage Science
  • Scholtz, R., Donovan, V.M., Strydom, T., Wonka, C., Kreuter, U.P., Rogers, W.E., Taylor, C., Smit, I.P.J., Govender, N., Trollope, R., Fogarty, D.T, Twidwell, D. (in press). High intensity fire experiments to manage shrub encroachment: lessons learned in South Africa and USA. African Journal of Range and Forage Science
  • Wigley-Coetsee, C., Strydom, T., Govender, D., Thompson, D., Govender, N., Botha, J., Simms, C., Manganyi, A., Kruger, L., Venter, J., Greaver, C., Smit, I.P.J. (in press) Reflecting on research produced after more than 50 years of exclosures in the Kruger National Park. Koedoe
  • Roux, D.J., Novellie, P., Smit, I.P.J., de Kraker, J., Mc Culloch, S., Dziba, L.E., Freitag, S., & Pienaar, D.J. (2022) Appraising strategic adaptive management as a process of organizational learning. Journal of Environmental Management
  • Coetzee, B.W.T., Gaston, K., Koekemoer, L., Kruger, T., Riddin, M., Smit, I.P.J. (2022). Artificial light as modulator of mosquito-borne disease risk. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9:768090
  • Heckel, K., Urban, M., Bouffard, J., Baade, J., Boucher, P., Davies, A., Hockridge, E., Luck, W., Ziemer, J., Smit, I.P.J., Jacobs, B., Rogers, M., Schmullius, C. (2021) The first sub-meter resolution digital elevation model of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Koedoe, 63(1), a1679.
  • Nghiyalwa, H.S., Urban, M., Baade, J., Smit, I.P.J., Ramoelo, A., Mogonong, B., Schmullius, S. (2021) Spatio-temporal Mixed Pixel Analysis of Savanna Ecosystems – A Review. Remote Sensing, 13 (19), 3870.
  • Smith, M.K.S.*, Smit, I.P.J.*, Swemmer, L.K., Mokhatla, M.M., Freitag, S., Roux, D.J., & Dziba, L. (2021). Sustainability of Protected Areas: Vulnerabilities and opportunities as revealed by COVID-19 in a National Park Management agency. (* Equal contributions). Biological Conservation, 255, 108985.
  • Awuah, K.T., Aplin, P., Marston, C.G., Powell, I., & Smit, I.P.J. (2020) Probabilistic mapping and spatial patterns analysis of grazing lawns in southern African savannahs using WorldView-3 imagery and machine learning techniques. Remote Sensing, 12(20), 3357.
  • Roux, D.J., Smith, M.K.S., Smit, I.P.J., Freitag, S., Slabbert, L., Mokhatla, M.M., Hayes, J., & Mpapane, N.P. (2020). Cultural ecosystem services as complex outcomes of people–nature interactions in protected areas. Ecosystem Services, 43, p.101111.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Peel., M.J.S., Ferreira, S.M., Greaver, C., & Pienaar, D.J. (2020). Megaherbivore responses to droughts under different management regimes: Lessons from a large African savanna. African Journal of Range and Forage Science, 37(1), 65-80. (Voted best paper of the year for the journal)
  • Smit, I.P.J., & Bond, W.J. (2020). Observations on the natural history of a savanna drought. African Journal of Range and Forage Science, 37(1), 119-136.
  • Peel M.J.S., & Smit I.P.J. (2020). Drought amnesia: lessons from protected areas in the eastern Lowveld of South Africa. African Journal of Range & Forage Science, 37(1), 81-92.
  • Malherbe, J., Smit, I.P.J., Wessels, K.J., & Beukes, P.J. (2020). Recent droughts in the Kruger National Park as reflected in the extreme climate index. African Journal Range & Forage Science, 37(1), 1-17.
  • Urban, M., Heckel, K., Berger, C., Schratz, P., Smit, I.P.J., Strydom, T., Baade, J., & Schmullius, C. (2020). Woody cover mapping in the savanna ecosystem of the Kruger National Park using Sentinel-1 C-Band time series data. Koedoe, 62(1), p.6.
  • Smit, I.P.J. (2020). Integrating multi-scaled and multidisciplinary studies: A critical reflection on the Kruger National Park research supersites. Koedoe 62(2), a1586.
  • Janecke, B.B., Van Tol, J.J., Smit, I.P.J., Van Aardt, A.C., Riddell, E.S., Seaman, M.T., Swart, W.J., du Preez, P.J., & le Roux, P.A.L. (2020). Biotic and abiotic connections on a granitic catena: Framework for multidisciplinary research, Koedoe 62(2), a1600.
  • Berger, C., Beiri, M., Bradshaw, K., Brummer, C., Clemen, T., Hickler, T., Kutsch, W.L., Lenfers, U.A., Martins, C., Midgley, G.F., Mukwashi, K., Odipo, V., Scheiter, S., Schmullius, C., Baade, J., du Toit, J., Scholes, R., Smit, I.P.J., Stevens, N., & Twyne, W. (2019). Linking scales and disciplines: an interdisciplinary cross-scale approach to support climate relevant ecosystem management. Climate Change, 156(1-2), 139-150.
  • Staver, A.C., Asner, G.P., Rodriguez-Iturbe, I., Levin, S.A., & Smit, I.P.J. (2019). Spatial patterning among savanna trees in high-resolution, spatially extensive data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(22), 10681-10685.
  • Grant, R.C.C., Botha, J., Grant, T.C., Peel, M.J., & Smit, I.P.J. (2019). When less is more: heterogeneity in grass patch height supports herbivores in counter-intuitive ways. African Journal of Range & Forage Science, 36(1), 1-8.
  • Smit, I.P.J., & Archibald, S. (2019). Herbivore culling influences spatio-temporal patterns of fire in a semi-arid savanna. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(3), 711-721
  • Gillson, L., Biggs, H., Smit, I.P.J., Virah-Sawmy, M., & Rogers, K. (2019). Finding common ground between adaptive management approaches and evidence-based approaches in biodiversity conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 34(1), 31-44.
  • Urban, M., Berger, C., Mudau, T., Heckel, K., Truckenbrodt, J., Onyango Odipo, V., Smit, I.P.J., & Schmullius, C. (2018). Surface Moisture and Vegetation Cover Analysis for Drought Monitoring in the Southern Kruger National Park Using Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8. Remote Sensing, 10, 1482.
  • Swemmer, A. M., Bond, W. J., Donaldson, J., Hempson, G. P., Malherbe, J., & Smit, I.P.J. (2018). The ecology of drought-a workshop report. South African Journal of Science, 114, 1-3.
  • Messina, M., Cunliffe, R., Farcomeni, A., Malatesta, L., Smit, I.P.J., Testolin, R., Ribeiro, N.S., Nhancale, B., Vitale, M., & Attore, F. (2018). An innovative approach to disentangling the effect of management and environment on tree cover and density of protected areas in African savanna. Forest Ecology and Management, 419-420, 1-9.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Roux, D.J., Swemmer, L.K., Boshoff, N. & Novellie, P. (2017). Protected areas as outdoor classrooms and global laboratories: Intellectual ecosystem services flowing to-and-from a National Park. Ecosystem Services, 28, 238-250.
  • Scholtz, R., Smit, I.P.J., Coetsee, C., Kiker, G.A. & Venter, F.J. (2017). Legacy effects of top-down disturbances on woody plant species composition in semi-arid systems. Austral Ecology, 42, 72-83.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Asner, G.P., Govender, N., Vaughn, N. & van Wilgen, B.W. (2016). An examination of the potential efficacy of high-intensity fires for reversing woody encroachment in savannas. Journal of Applied Ecology, 53, 1623-1633.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Landman, M., Cowling, R.M. & Gaylard, G. (2016). Expert-derived monitoring thresholds for impacts of megaherbivores on vegetation cover in a protected area. Journal of Environmental Management, 177, 298-305.
  • Asner, G.P., Vaughn, N., Smit, I.P.J. & Levick, S.R. (2016). Ecosystem-scale effects of mega-fauna in African savannas. Ecography, 39, 240-252.
  • Van Wilgen, B.W., Boshoff, N., Smit, I.P.J., Solano-Fernandez, S. & van der Walt, L. (2016). A bibliometric analysis to illustrate the role of an embedded research capability in South African National Parks. Scientometrics, 107, 185-212.
  • Vaughn, N., Asner, G.P., Smit, I.P.J. & Riddell, E. (2015). Multiple Scales of Control on the Structure and Spatial Distribution of Woody Vegetation in African Savanna Watersheds. PLoS ONE 10(12): e0145192. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0145192.
  • Smit, I.P.J. & Prins, H.H.T. (2015). Predicting the effects of woody encroachment on mammal communities, grazing biomass and fire frequency in African savannas. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0137857. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0137857.
  • Attore, F., Govender, N., Hausman, A., Farcomeni, A., Guillet, A., Scepi, E., Smit, I.P.J. & Vitale, M. (2015). Assessing the effects of management changes and environmental features on the spatio-temporal pattern of fire in an African savannah: Fire spatio0-temporal pattern. Journal for Nature Conservation, 28, 1-10.
  • Urbazaev, M., Thiel, C., Mathieu, R., Naidoo, L., Levick, S.R., Smit, I.P.J., Asner, G.P., & Schmullius, C. (2015). Assessment of the mapping of fractional woody cover in southern African savannas using multi-temporal and polarimetric ALOS PALSA L-band images. Remote Sensing of Environment, 166, 138-153.
  • Ferreira, S.M., Greaver, C., Knight, G.A., Knight, M.H., Smit, I.P.J., & Pienaar, D. (2015). Disruption of rhino demography by poachers may lead to population declines in Kruger National Park, South Africa. PLoS One, 10(6): e0127783. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127783.
  • Hempson, G. P., Archibald, S., Bond, W. J., Ellis, R. P., Grant, C. C., Kruger, F. J., Kruger, LM., Moxley, C., Owen-Smith, N., Peel, M.J.S., Smit, I.P.J., & Vickers, K. J. (2015). Ecology of grazing lawns in Africa. Biological Reviews, 90, 979-994.
  • Hilbers, J. P., van Langevelde, F., Prins, H. H. T., Grant, C. C., Peel, M., Coughenour, M. B., de Knegt, H.J., Slotow, R., Smit, I.P.J., Kiker, G.A., & de Boer, W. F. (2015). Modeling elephant-mediated cascading effects of water point closure. Ecological Applications, 25, 402-415.
  • Kiker, G. A., Scholtz, R., Smit, I.P.J., & Venter, F. J. (2014). Exploring an extensive dataset to establish woody vegetation cover and composition in Kruger National Park for the late 1980s: original research. Koedoe, 56(1), 1-10.
  • Scholtz, R., Kiker, G.A., Smit, I.P.J., & Venter, F.J. (2014). Identifying drivers that influence the spatial distribution of woody vegetation in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Ecosphere, 5(6) Article 71
  • van Wilgen, B.J., Govender, N., Smit, I.P.J., & MacFadyen, S. (2014). The ongoing development of a pragmatic and adaptive fire management policy in a large African savanna protected area. Journal of Environmental Management, 132, 358-368.
  • Khalefa, E., Smit, I.P.J., Nickless, A., Archibald, S., Comber, A. & Balzter, H. (2013). Vegetation canopy height from ICESat-GLAS spaceborne LiDAR with terrain correction. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 10(6), 1439-1443.
  • Mathieu, R., Naidoo, L., Cho, M.A., Leblon, B., Main, R., Wessels, K., Asner, G.P., Buckley, J., van Aardt, J., Erasmus, B.F.N., & Smit, I.P.J. (2013). Toward structural assessment of semi-arid African savannahs and woodlands: the potential of multitemporal polarimetric RASARSAT-2 beam images. Remote Sensing of Environment, 138, 215-231.
  • Smit, I.P.J. (2013). Systems approach towards surface water distribution in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Pachyderm, 53, 91-98.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Riddell, E.S., Cullum, C. & Petersen, R. (2013). Kruger National Park research supersites: Establishing long-term research sites for crossdisciplinary, multiscaled learning. Koedoe, 55(1), Art. #1107, 7 pages.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Smit, C.F., Govender, N., Van der Linde, M. & MacFadyen, S. (2013). Rainfall geology and landscape position generate large-scale spatio-temporal fire pattern heterogeneity in an African savanna. Ecography, 36(4), 447-459. 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07555.x.
  • Kerry, R., Goovaerts, P., Smit, I.P.J. & Ingram, B.R. (2013). A Comparison of Multiple Indicator Kriging and Area to Point Poisson Kriging for Mapping Patterns of Herbivore Species Abundance in Kruger National Park, South Africa. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 27(1), 47-67.
  • Child, M.F. Peel, M.J.S., Smit, I.P.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2013). Quantifying the effects of diverse private protected area management systems on ecosystem properties in a Savanna Biome, South Africa. Oryx, 47(1), 29-40.
  • Wessels, K.J., Colgan, M.S., Erasmus, B.F.N., Asner, G.P., Twine, W.C., Mathieu, R., van Aardt, J.A.N., Fisher, J.T. & Smit, I.P.J. (2013). Unsustainable fuelwood extraction from South African savannas. Environmental Research Letters, 8, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014007.
  • Levick, S.R., Asner, G.P. & Smit, I.P.J. (2012). Spatial patterns in the effects of fire on savanna vegetation three-dimensional structure. Ecological Applications, 22(8), 2110-2121.
  • Cho, M.A., Mathieu, R., Asner, G.P., Naidoo, L., van Aardt, J., Ramoelo, A., Debba, P., Wessels, K., Main, R., Smit, I.P.J. & Erasmus, B. (2012). Mapping tree species composition in South African savannas using an integrated airborne spectral and LiDAR system. Remote Sensing of the Environment, 125, 214-226.
  • Seydack, A.H., Grant, C.C., Smit, I.P.J., Vermeulen, W.J., Baard, J. & Zambatis, N. (2012). Climate and vegetation in a semi-arid savanna: Development of a climate-vegetation response model linking plant metabolic performance to climate and the effects on forage availability for large herbivores. Koedoe 54(1), Art. #1046, 12 pages.
  • Seydack, A.H., Grant, C.C., Smit, I.P.J., Vermeulen, W.J., Baard, J. & Zambatis, N. (2012). Large herbivore population performance and climate in a South African semi-arid savanna. Koedoe 54(1), Art. #1047, 20 pages
  • Smit, I.P.J. & Asner, G.P. (2012). Roads increase woody cover under varying geological, rainfall and fire regimes in African savanna. Journal of Arid Environments, 80, 74-80.
  • Smit, I.P.J. (2011). Resources driving landscape-scale distribution patterns of grazers in an African savanna. Ecography, 34, 67-74.
  • Wessels K.J., Mathieu R., Erasmus, B.F.N., Asner, G.P., Smit, I.P.J., van Aardt, J.A.N., Main, R., Fisher, J., Marais, W., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T., Knapp, D.E., Emerson, R. & Jacobson, J. (2011). Impact of communal land use and conservation on woody vegetation structure in the Lowveld savannas of South Africa. Forest Ecology and Management, 261, 19-29.
  • Sithole, H., Smit, I.P.J. & Parr, C.L. (2010). Preliminary investigations into a potential ant invader in Kruger National Park, South Africa. African Journal of Ecology, 48, 736-743.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Asner, G.P., Govender, N., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T., Knapp, D.E. & Jacobson, J. (2010). Effects of fire on woody vegetation structure in African savanna. Ecological Applications, 20(7), 1865-1875.
  • Smit, I.P.J & Ferreira, S.M. (2010). Management intervention affects river-bound spatial dynamics of elephants. Biological Conservation, 143, 2172-2181.
  • Smit, I.P.J. & Grant, C.C. (2009). Managing surface-water in a large semi-arid savanna park: Effects on grazer distribution patterns. Journal for Nature Conservation, 17(2), 61-71.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Grant, C.C. & Devereux, B.J. (2007). Do artificial waterholes influence the way herbivores use the landscape? Herbivore distribution patterns around rivers and artificial surface water sources in a large African savanna park. Biological Conservation, 136(1), 85-99.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Grant, C.C. & Whyte, I.J. (2007). Landscape-scale sexual segregation in the dry season distribution and resource utilisation of elephants in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Diversity and Distributions, 13(2), 225-236.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Grant, C.C. & Whyte, I.J. (2007). Elephants and water provision: what are the management links? Diversity and Distribution, 13(6), 666-669.
  • McGechan, M. B., Moir, S. E., Castle, K. & Smit, I. P. J. (2005). Modelling oxygen transport in a reedbed-constructed wetland purification system for dilute effluents. Biosystems engineering, 91(2), 191-200.

Book or Book Chapters

  • Smit, I.P.J., Wigley-Coetsee, C. (2019). Interactions between herbivory and fire: current understanding and management implications. The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing II, Ecological Studies 239, (ed. Gordon, I. & Prins, H.H.T), Springer
  • van Aardt, J.A.N, Mathieu, R., Cho, M., Wessels, K., Erasmus, B., Asner, G.P. & Smit, I.P.J. (2011). Assessing degradation across a land use gradient in the Kruger National Park area using advanced remote sensing modalities. Earth Observation and Environmental Change in South Africa (ed. Zietsman, H.L.), South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), pp 97-103.
  • Asner, G.P., Levick, S. & Smit, I.P.J. (2011) Remote Sensing of Fractional Cover and Biochemistry in Savannas. Ecosystem function in savannas: measurement and modeling at landscape to global scales (ed. Hill, M.J. & Hanan, N.P.), CRC/Taylor and Francis, pp 195-217.
  • Bucini, G., Hanan, N.P., Boone, R.B., Smit, I.P.J., Saatchi, S., Lefsky, M.A. & Asner, G.P. (2011) Woody fractional cover in Kruger National Park, South Africa: remote-sensing-based maps and ecological insights. Ecosystem function in savannas: measurement and modeling at landscape to global scales (ed. Hill, M.J. & Hanan, N.P.), CRC/Taylor and Francis, pp 219-237.
  • Grant, C.C, Bengis, R., Balfour, D., Peel, M., Davies-Mostert, W., Killian, H., Little, R., Smit, I.P.J., Garat, M., Henley, M., Anthony, B. & Hartley, P. (2008) Controlling the distribution of elephant. Assessment of South African Elephant Management (ed. Mennell, K.G & Scholes, R.J.), WITS University Press, pp 247-271.

Reports and Brochures

  • Smit, I.P.J., Freitag-Ronaldson, S. (2021). SANParks Scientific Services reflections on COVID-19 and associated lockdown: Feedback from an internal survey. SANParks Internal Report 02 / 2021, South African National Parks, Skukuza.
  • Smit, I.P.J., Roux, D., Novellie, P., Spies, A, Freitag-Ronaldson, S and Riley, A. (2020). Park Management Plans: Feedback from internal survey regarding the Park Management Plan Process and Implementation. SANParks Internal Report 15 / 2020, South African National Parks, Skukuza.
  • Novellie, P., Smit, I.P.J., Roux, D. (2020) Evaluation of SANParks’ park management plans and associated processes. Insights gained from interrogating Lower Level Plans and conducting interviews with SANParks staff on adaptive implementation. SANParks Internal Report 18 / 2020, South African National Parks, Skukuza.

Technical and Scientific Reports

  • Smit, I.P.J. & Bond, W.J. (2020). Drought in the Kruger National Park (2015/16): Observations and Reflections. Scientific Report 01/2020, South African National Parks Scientific Services, Skukuza
  • Novellie, P., Ferreira, I., Smit, I.P.J., van Wilgen, N., Kraaij, T., Cowell, C. and Daemane, M. (2014) SANParks Research Report 2013, South African National Parks, Pretoria.
  • Freitag-Ronaldson, S., Smit, I.P.J., Ferreira, I. and Roux, D. (2013). SANParks Research Report 2012, South African National Parks, Pretoria.

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