Dr Marna Herbst

Regional Ecologist, Cape Research Centre

Location: Office 4, Cape Research Centre, Tokai

Introduction

The role of the regional ecologist at the CRC is to provide a science-management interface function with national parks, coordinate Science Management forums, coordinate, conduct and report on aerial surveys of the wildlife species and wildlife management recommendations in these parks, coordinate and ensure implementation of the variety of monitoring programmes and associated basic data analysis, archiving and curation, support biodiversity components of METT, state of biodiversity and other park biodiversity assessments, support development and drafting of park management plans and lower level plans, interpret and communicate research and monitoring findings and their implications for the benefit of park management and other stakeholders, liaise with external scientists and coordinate projects, support SET, Park Planning and other SANParks units, facilitate knowledge and data transfer between scientists and park staff, participate in drafting of Standard Operating Procedures and internal policy documents, supervise the terrestrial biotechnician, keep abreast of current scientific thinking and pursue appropriate academic development and growth to maintain scientific credibility and recognition, liaise with provincial, regional and national authorities in species management planning and other conservation issues, engage with private institutions and municipalities on impact assessments and comment on EIAs, and conduct work planning and scheduling, budget control, general administration.

Education

BSc (Zoology and Entomology), 1998, University of Pretoria
BSc Honours (Zoology), 1999, University of Pretoria
MSc (The biology and population ecology of the Namaqua dune mole-rat, Bathyergus janetta from the Northern Cape province, South Africa, cum laude), 2002, University of Pretoria, Mammal Research Institute
PhD (Behavioural ecology and population genetics of the African wildcat, Felis silvestris, in the southern Kalahari), 2009, University of Pretoria, Mammal Research Institute

Research Focus and Interest

I have a wide interest in the conservation field, from studies on small mammals and carnivores to the connections people experience in nature and the role protected areas can play in the well-being of people. My role as a regional ecologist for the Cape Parks is exciting as you are working at the interface between science and management. The Cape National Parks provide the opportunity to work in diverse habitats and ecosystems where I am responsible for co-ordinating, conducting and reporting on aerial surveys of the wildlife species and wildlife management recommendations in these parks.

Publications

Journal Articles

Ament, J.M., Moore, C.A., Herbst, M. & Cumming, G.S. (2017). Cultural ecosystem services in protected areas: Understanding bundles, trade‐offs, and synergies. Conservation Letters 10(4), 440–450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/conl.12283

Foxcroft, L.C. & Herbst, M. (2017). Status and trends in the global growth of Koedoe between 1958 and 2016. Koedoe 59(1), art. no. a1500. https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v59i1.1500

Henrikki Tenkanen, H., Di Minin, E., Heikinheimo, V., Hausmann, A., Herbst, M., Kajala, L & Toivonen, T. (2017). Instagram, Flickr, or Twitter: Assessing the usability of social media data for visitor monitoring in protected areas. Scientific Reports doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18007-4.

Le Roux, J.J., Foxcroft, L.C., Herbst, M. & MacFadyen, S. (2015). Genetic analysis shows low levels of hybridization between African wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) and domestic cats (F. s. catus) in South Africa. Ecology and Evolution 5: 288-299. http://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1275.

Ferreira, S.M., Govender, D., and Herbst, M. (2012). Conservation implications of Kalahari lion population dynamics. African Journal of Ecology 51: 176-179. doi: 10.1111/aje.12003

Ferreira, S., Deacon, A., Sithole, H., Bezuidenhout, H., Daemane, M., and Herbst, M. (2011). From numbers to ecosystems and biodiversity: A mechanistic approach to monitoring. Koedoe 53(2): 187-198.

Herbst, M. and Mills, M.G.L. (2010). Techniques used in the study of African wildcat, Felis silvestris cafra, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa/Botswana). Koedoe 52(1): 39-44.

Herbst, M., and Mills, M.G.L. (2010). The feeding habits of the southern African wildcat, a facultative trophic specialist, in the southern Kalahari (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana). Journal of Zoology 280(4): 403-413.

Herbst, M., and Bennett, N.C. (2006). Burrow architecture and burrowing dynamics of the endangered Namaqua dune mole-rat (Bathyergus janetta) (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). Journal of Zoology 270(3): 420-428.

Herbst, M., Jarvis, J. U. M. and Bennett, N. C. (2004). A field assessment of reproductive seasonality in the threatened wild Namaqua dune mole-rat (Bathyergus janetta). Journal of Zoology 263(3): 259-268.

Book or Book Chapters

Herbst, M., Foxcroft, L., Le Roux, J., Bloomer, P., & Do Linh San, E. (2016). A conservation assessment of Felis silvestris. In: Child, M.F., Roxburgh, L., Do Linh San, E., Raimondo, D., Davies-Mostert, H.T., editors. The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa.

Sliwa, A., Herbst, M. and Mills, M.G.L. (2009). Black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) and African wild cats (Felis silvestris lybica): A comparison of two small felids from South African arid lands. In: D.W. MacDonald and A.J. Loveridge (Authors), Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids. Oxford University Press, UK. Pp 537-558.

Technical and Scientific Reports

Van Wilgen, N.J. & Herbst, M. (2017). Taking stock of parks in a changing world: The SANParks Global Environmental Change Assessment, SANParks, Cape Town.

Ferreira, S., Bezuidenhout, H., Deacon, A., Daemane, M., Gaylard, A., Greaver, C., Herbst, M. and Sithole, H. SANParks Biodiversity Monitoring Programme. Internal SANParks report.