The event formed part of the University’s Mandela Day commemorations with conservation professionals, academics, students, and members of the public attending both in person and online via Microsoft Teams.
From left, Professor Zenixole Tshentu, Dr Timothy Kuiper, Professor Joshua Louw, and Martin Loubser
Senior lecturer in the Department of Conservation Management, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and field conservationist, whose work spans South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, Dr Tim Kuiper’s research is at the forefront of conservation science, influencing real world strategies to protect endangered species, particularly rhinos.
His address unpacked research conducted across 11 rhino reserves in southern Africa from 2017 to 2023.
“We recorded 1,985 rhinos poached over this period, about 6.5% of the population annually, despite over USD 76 million (1.1 billion rand) invested in anti-poaching measures,” Dr Kuiper explained.
While over 700 poachers were arrested, the data showed no clear link between arrests and reduced poaching.
Instead, the lecture revealed that strategic dehorning, carried out on over 2,200 rhinos across eight reserves, led to a 78% reduction in poaching, using just 1.2% of the total anti-poaching budget.
“Dehorning is not perfect,” Dr Kuiper cautioned, “but combined with focused enforcement, it disrupts organised crime, limits incentive, and saves lives.”
He stressed the need for multi-pronged approaches that address not only ground enforcement but also international demand, inequality, and systemic corruption driving the poaching crisis.
Dr Kuiper dedicated this work to Sharon Hausman, the CEO of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation. “She died three days before the paper came out and I had spoken to her the morning that she died. She was a wonderful person and the glue that held our team together,” Dr Tim concluded his talk.
Professor Zenixole Tshentu, Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, was Programme Director and facilitator of the event. Martin Loubser, Acting Senior Director of George Campus, spoke to the importance of knowledge sharing and community engagement on issues of biodiversity and sustainability.
Professor Joshua Louw, Director of the Natural Resource Science and Management (NRSM) Cluster introduced Dr Kuiper, as an African biodiversity scientist focused on research into human–nature relationships.
Since May 2024, Dr Kuiper has been a senior lecturer in Biodiversity and Statistics at Mandela University, where he teaches postgraduate courses, supervises MSc and PhD students, and leads interdisciplinary research across Africa. His work combines methods, such as statistical modelling and stakeholder interviews to understand biodiversity loss and support African-led conservation.
Though his main expertise is in quantitative modelling, he collaborates with practitioners and policymakers to ensure his research delivers practical, impactful solutions. His goal is to foster African leadership in conservation science through research and teaching.
Following the keynote lecture, Prim Gower, Director of Communication and Marketing, shared remarks on the importance of science communication and the University’s intention to collaborate with Dr Kuiper on disseminating the research through an article in a top-tier science journal.
“Our role as communicators is to elevate the voices of scientists and ensure their insights inform policy, awareness, and ultimately change,” she said.
The audience raised ethical, ecological, and socio-political questions around dehorning, conservation funding, and rhino behaviour in the Q&A session, facilitated by Prof Tshentu, highlighting the value of informed public dialogue.
“This was not just a lecture; it was a call to action. A reminder that science must serve people, policy, and the plane,” Prof Tshentu said.
At the end of the lecture, Prof Tshentu referred to an opening address by President Nelson Mandela at the Conference on National Environment Policy in 1995, where he remarked that “We all understand that the environmental challenges of the modern world extend far beyond the survival of single species or merely the well-being of nature.
"The many and severe global pressures on the environment will demand innovative solutions from the world community”.
Today, we talk about co-creation of transdisciplinary solutions at Mandela University. Let us do our bit species by species and ecosystem by ecosystem,” Prof Tshentu added.
The lecture recording is available via Microsoft Teams. Follow the Faculty of Science platforms for future events. Watch the Lecture