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Judith Botha

Judith Botha

Science Manager: Knowledge Support, Savanna Research Unit

Location: Skukuza, Kruger National Park

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +27 (0)13 735 4309

Education

  • Diploma in datametrics, 2001, UNISA
  • MSc Agriculture, 1996, University of Pretoria
  • BSc Agriculture, 1992, University of Pretoria

Research Focus and Interest

My focus encompasses a wide range of support functions and my current interest is on data storage, curation, analyses and automation of these processes.


Publications

Journal Articles

MacFadyen, S., Allsopp, N., Altwegg, R., Archibald, S., Botha, J., Bradshaw, K., Carruthers, J., De Klerk, H., de Vos, A., Distiller, G. and Foord, S., 2022. Drowning in data, thirsty for information and starved for understanding: A biodiversity information hub for cooperative environmental monitoring in South Africa. Biological Conservation274, p.109736.

Reinhardt, C.F., Bezuidenhout, H. & Botha, J.M., 2022, ‘Evidence that residues of tebuthiuron arboricide present in soil of Mokala National Park can be phytotoxic to woody and grass species’, Koedoe 64(1), a1658. https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v64i1.1658.

Wigley-Coetsee, C., Strydom, T., Govender, D., Thompson, D.I., Govender, N., Botha, J., Simms, C., Manganyi, A., Kruger, L., Venter, J. and Greaver, C., 2022. Reflecting on research produced after more than 60 years of exclosures in the Kruger National Park. Koedoe, 64(1), p.14.

Abraham, J.O., Goldberg, E.R., Botha, J. and Staver, A.C., 2021. Heterogeneity in African savanna elephant distributions and their impacts on trees in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Ecology and evolution, 11(10), pp.5624-5634.

Shikwambana, P. ., Taylor, J. C. ., Govender, D. . and Botha, J. . (2021) “Diatom responses to river water quality in the Kruger National Park, South Africa”, Bothalia, African Biodiversity & Conservation, 51(1). doi: 10.38201/btha.abc.v51.i1.5.

Dlamini, T.B., Reilly, B.K., Thompson, D.I., Burkepile, D.E., Botha, J.M. and Rebelo, A.G., 2020. Differential herbivore occupancy of fire-manipulated savannas in the Satara region of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Koedoe, 62(1), pp.1-8.

Grant, R.C., Botha, J., Grant, T.C., Peel, M.J. and Smit, I.P., 2019. When less is more: heterogeneity in grass patch height supports herbivores in counter-intuitive ways. African journal of range & forage science, 36(1), pp.1-8.

Staver, A.C., Wigley‐Coetsee, C. and Botha, J., 2019. Grazer movements exacerbate grass declines during drought in an African savanna. Journal of Ecology, 107(3), pp.1482-1491.

Riddell, E.S., Govender, D., Botha, J., Sithole, H., Petersen, R.M. and Shikwambana, P., 2019. Pollution impacts on the aquatic ecosystems of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Scientific African, 6, p.e00195.

Staver, A.C., Botha, J. and Hedin, L., 2017. Soils and fire jointly determine vegetation structure in an African savanna. New Phytologist, 216(4), pp.1151-1160.

Scogings, P.F., Johansson, T., Hjältén, J. and Kruger, J., 2012. Responses of woody vegetation to exclusion of large herbivores in semi‐arid savannas. Austral Ecology, 37(1), pp.56-66.

Ferreira, S.M., Botha, J.M. and Emmett, M.C., 2012. Anthropogenic influences on conservation values of white rhinoceros. PLoS One, 7(9), p.e45989.

Smith, M.D., van Wilgen, B.W., Burns, C.E., Govender, N., Potgieter, A.L., Andelman, S., Biggs, H.C., Botha, J. and Trollope, W.S., 2013. Long-term effects of fire frequency and season on herbaceous vegetation in savannas of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Journal of Plant Ecology, 6(1), pp.71-83.

Kruger, J.M. and MacFadyen, S., 2011. Science support within the South African National Parks adaptive management framework. Koedoe, 53(2), pp.172-178.

Scholes, R.J. and Kruger, J.M., 2011. A framework for deriving and triggering thresholds for management intervention in uncertain, varying and time-lagged systems. koedoe, 53(2), pp.179-186.

McGeoch, M.A., Dopolo, M., Novellie, P., Hendriks, H., Freitag, S., Ferreira, S., Grant, R., Kruger, J., Bezuidenhout, H., Randall, R.M. and Vermeulen, W., 2011. A strategic framework for biodiversity monitoring in South African National Parks. Koedoe, 53(2), pp.43-51.

Vanderbilt, K., Cushing, J., Gao, J., Kaplan, N., Kruger, J., Leroy, C., Mallett, J., Ramsey, K. and Zeman, L., 2009. Data integration challenges: an example from the International Long-Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER). Ecological Circuits, 2, pp.12-13.

Kruger, J.M., Reilly, B.K. and Whyte, I.J., 2008. Application of distance sampling to estimate population densities of large herbivores in Kruger National Park. Wildlife Research, 35(4), pp.371-376.

Cushing, J.B., Kaplan, N.E., Laney, C., Mallett, J., Ramsey, K., Vanderbilt, K., Zeman, L., Gao, J., Kruger, J., LeRoy, C. and Milchunas, D., 2008, September. Integrating ecological data: Notes from the Grasslands ANPP Data Integration Project. In Proceedings of the Environmental Information Management Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Peel, M.J.S., Kruger, J.M. and MacFadyen, S., 2007. Woody vegetation of a mosaic of protected areas adjacent to the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Journal of Vegetation Science, 18(6), pp.807-814.

Peel, M.J.S., Kruger, J.M. and Zacharias, P.J.K., 2005. Environmental and management determinants of vegetation state on protected areas in the eastern Lowveld of South Africa. African Journal of Ecology, 43(4), pp.352-361.

Knapp, A.K., Smith, M.D., Collins, S.L., Zambatis, N., Peel, M., Emery, S., Wojdak, J., Horner-Devine, M.C., Biggs, H., Kruger, J. and Andelman, S.J., 2004. Generality in ecology: testing North American grassland rules in South African savannas. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2(9), pp.483-491.

Redfern, J.V., Viljoen, P.C., Kruger, J.M. and Getz, W.M., 2002. Biases in estimating population size from an aerial census: a case study in the Kruger National Park, South Africa: Starfield Festschrift. South African Journal of Science, 98(9-10), pp.455-461.

Kruger, M., Bothma, J.D.P. and Kruger, J.M., 2002. The effect of neighbouring klipspringer on the scent–marking behaviour of a group of klipspringer in the Kruger National Park. Koedoe, 45(1), pp.1-8.

Kruger, J., 2000. GIS in the South African National Parks. Koedoe, 43(2), p.113.

Wrench, J.M., Meissner, H.H. and Grant, C.C., 1997. Assessing diet quality of African ungulates from faecal analyses: the effect of forage quality, intake and herbivore species. Koedoe, 40(1), pp.125-136.

Wrench, J.M., Meissner, H.H., Grant, C.C. and Casey, N.H., 1996. Environmental factors that affect the concentration of P and N in faecal samples collected for the determination of nutritional status. Koedoe, 39(2), pp.1-6.

Popular Articles

Kruger, J., Jones, M., Schildhauer, M. and Stevens, N. New technologies for automating the management and analysis of conservation data. Ecological Circuits Issue 1, 2008.