I was born and raised in Cape Town and grew up with a deep appreciation for and interest in nature and all its wonders. I am an outgoing, dedicated and motivated individual who works well alone and in a team. I am intrigued by animal ecology and I have a broad interest in global change and specifically the impacts of land use on terrestrial vertebrates and species interactions. I am currently employed by South African National Parks as the science liaison officer at the Cape Research Centre. In this position, I am responsible for the management and coordination of all external research projects in the Cape Parks, including liaison with national and international lead researchers. I am also responsible for monitoring mammals using camera traps and have completed my MSc dissertation which focused on the impact of past and current management practice on wildlife populations in the West Coast National Park. I believe that standardized, collaborative monitoring protocols relating to various environmental variables (e.g. climate, land-use change, terrestrial vertebrates and vegetation), that ensure good quality, long-term data are essential to underpinning the future conservation of fully functional ecosystems.