Anne-Liese Naude (Kruger)

I completed three post graduate degrees in the Natural Sciences, of which my B-Tech was in Environmental Management. My Masters and PhD in Environmental Health was focused on Ecotoxicology research, which is the study of environmental pollutants and their effects at different levels of biological organization. In both my Masters and PhD research, I used animals and plants as biomonitors, accompanied by cellular, physiological and biochemical biomarkers, while gaining extensive research skills in the field, laboratory and statistical analysis of data. My PhD, was an investigation into the health of metal contaminated forest ecosystems in the Western Cape, using sentinel organisms and biomarkers associated with oxidative stress on pill millipedes, moss and lichen. I have found ecotoxicological studies imperative in the identification of biomarkers, which can serve as early warning systems for environmental monitoring to detect the current status, as well as planning conservation methods to protect the biodiversity and human health. This is especially relevant in in the Western Cape where plant extinction is a huge concern, but also cities in general, where pollution is most prominent. Conservation of our biodiversity, especially in forests have become my key interest and passion.