Silindokuhle Tokota

Silindokuhle’s passion for nature started at a young age and he has a deep interest in understanding the biology, ecology, and natural history of both plants and animals. He completed a Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of the Western Cape and during this time developed a passion for nature conservation and understanding threats to biodiversity. Apart from his own herpetofaunal research at Koeberg Private Nature Reserve, he has spent considerable time working as a field assistant in places like the Kruger National Park and Tswalu Private Nature Reserve, where he gained and honed his suite of skills as a researcher.

Shortly after completing his MSc, he joined the CLT as Conservation Field Officer in 2021. His responsibilities included collecting and processing data; leading on snare awareness training, detection and removal of snares; and intern mentoring. During this time Silindokuhle expressed interest in pursuing a PhD in nature conservation. An opportunity to do so presented itself in late 2022, with a project to estimate leopard densities, investigate local threats to leopards, and determine ecological corridors within the Eastern Cape Province.

The research is being conducted in collaboration with the CLT, Panthera, and Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and is co-funded by Jamma Conservation & Communities (via the CLT), Panthera and a scholarship bursary through NMU. In February 2023 Silindokuhle enrolled as a full time PhD student at NMU (George campus) in the Department of Conservation Management. At the end of his project, Silindokuhle hopes to come back into the workforce of nature conservators and help fight the good fight for a greener planet.