NWU research is helping to redefine waste management in protected areas as an essential part of conserving biodiversity, preventing pollution and creating opportunities for communities.
South Africa’s protected areas safeguard some of the country’s most valuable species and landscapes. Yet the waste generated and managed within these spaces can place the very environments they protect at risk.
Research by Prof. Claudine Alberts from the subject group Geography and Environmental Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) shows that poor waste practices threaten biodiversity, pollute sensitive habitats and weaken conservation efforts. Her work also demonstrates that this challenge can be addressed through purposeful planning, appropriate infrastructure, collaboration and changes in human behaviour.
Prof. Alberts began her research career by investigating persistent organic pollutants in South Africa’s water environment. By studying sediments, soil, fish tissue and wild bird eggs, her work helped establish evidence about the occurrence, distribution and ecological risks of these pollutants.
Her research subsequently expanded into waste management and, particularly, the role that people play in determining whether waste-management systems succeed.
