Qualification
Research interest
My interests lie in insect diversity, agricultural management of insect pests and overall how insects drive the structure of an ecosystem. I’m currently persuing a PhD study on the diversity of Neuroptera in the north west region of Namibia and the south west region of Angola. I’m also aiming to do species distribution modeling of specific species to determine distribution of the insects in southern Africa as well as how climate change will effect their distribution in future. All of this research seeks to inform management practises in the Iona - Skeleton Coast Transfrontier conservation area and to help conservation efforts within the national parks. Associated with this research I will also be aiding a masters student in researching the overall insect diversity of the Skeleton Coast national park. To also inform management strategies. This research falls under the SCIONA project which is funded by the European Union. And forms a small part of a large project to determine all biological and ecological variables within the area. Along with aiding the communities in the area to manage the natural resources optimally.
Key publications:
Masters Thesis (2014) The morphology and ecology of the Carob moth
Morland, G., Geertsema, H., Addison, P., (2018) Monitoring seasonal activity and damage potential of the Carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae) in citrus orchards of the Western Cape Province (In Review process with the Journal of African Entomology)
