Prof Vera de Cauwer

Research interests:
My research interests span natural resources management, biogeography, plant ecology, and tree breeding, with a strong focus on the ecology and management of woodlands and biodiversity in arid and semi-arid regions of southern Africa. I specialise in woody plant synecology and the application of geospatial tools for ecosystem management, particularly GIS and spatial modelling that integrate satellite imagery and ground-based field data to support sustainable landscape management and ecological monitoring.

As a forester, I am particularly interested in the population dynamics, biomass accumulation, productivity, and wood production of woody species in dryland ecosystems. My doctoral research focused on Kiaat/Mukwa (Pterocarpus angolensis), Namibia’s most important indigenous timber species, with emphasis on its ecology, regeneration, and sustainable management.

A central theme of my work is the sustainable use and conservation of natural resources that benefit local communities. I am especially interested in balancing biodiversity conservation with sustainable harvesting practices in woodland ecosystems. At the same time, I recognise the urgent need to select, propagate, and breed indigenous tree species of southern Africa to complement and restore natural populations under increasing environmental pressure. Our research has initiated germination, nursery propagation, and in vitro studies on several Namibian tree species, providing a foundation for future work in indigenous tree improvement, restoration, and climate-resilient forestry. 

Most of my research is conducted in Namibia and southern Angola, although the findings and methodologies are broadly applicable across the dry forests and woodlands of southern Africa.

Key publications:
De Cauwer, V., 2023. Status quo of sustainable forest management in Namibia. First Edition. Windhoek, Namibia: Hanns Seidel Foundation and Desert Research Foundation. SFM-Book.pdf

De Cauwer, V., Becker, R.W., Gomes, A., Lages, F., Swanepoel, W., and Van Jaarsveld, E., 2023. The mountain top flora and vegetation of the remote Ovahimba Highlands in the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism: a reconnaissance. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 78 (1–2), 109–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919X.2023.2211040

De Cauwer, V., Beeckman, H., Kleinn, C., Moses, M., Nott, A., Seifert, T., and Muys, B., 2020. Improving the knowledge base for tropical dry forest management in southern Africa: Regional volume models for Pterocarpus angolensis. Forest Ecology and Management, 477, 118485. https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919X.2023.2211040

De Cauwer, V., Chaka, M., Chimwamurombe, P.M., George, D., Ham, H., Heita, H., Makoi, T., Mashungwa, G., Reinhold-Hurek, B., and Tshwenyane, S., 2018. Artificial and assisted natural regeneration of socio-economically important southern African tree species. Biodiversity & Ecology, 6, 324–331. https://doi.org/10.7809/b-e.00340

De Cauwer, V., Colace, M.-P., Mendelsohn, J., Antonio, T., and Van Der Waal, C., 2024. A Rangeland Management-Oriented Approach to Map Dry Savanna-Woodland Mosaics. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 134 (104193). Rangeland Management-Oriented Approach  

De Cauwer, V., Geldenhuys, C.J., Aerts, R., Kabajani, M., and Muys, B., 2016. Patterns of forest composition and their long term environmental drivers in the tropical dry forest transition zone of southern Africa. Forest Ecosystems, 3 (1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-016-0080-9

Diesse, H., Godlee, J.L., Knox, N., Muledi, J., Naftal, L., Nkulu, D., Nkomba, B., Uusiku, G., Dexter, K., and De Cauwer, V., 2025. Quantifying unseen woody biomass and diversity in understorey trees and shrubs at the extremes of water availability in the Miombo ecoregion. Forest Ecosystems, 13, 100302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2025.100302

Naftal, L., De Cauwer, V., and Strohbach, B.J., 2024. Potential distribution of major plant units under climate change scenarios along an aridity gradient in Namibia. Vegetation Classification and Survey, 5, 127–151. https://doi.org/10.3897/VCS.99050

Swanepoel, W., Becker, R., de Cauwer, V., and van Wyk, A.E., 2025. Zanthoxylum kaokoense (Rutaceae: Zanthoxyloideae), a new species from Angola and Namibia. Phytotaxa, 726 (4), 281–290. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.726.4.5

Swanepoel, W., De Cauwer, V., and Van Wyk, A.E., 2021. A new rheophytic species of Syzygium (Myrtaceae) from the lower Kunene River of Angola and Namibia. Phytotaxa, 491 (4), 281–290. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.491.4.3

Van Holsbeeck, S., De Cauwer, V., De Ridder, M., Fichtler, E., Beeckman, H., and Mertens, J., 2016. Annual diameter growth of Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and other woodland species in Namibia. Forest Ecology and Management, 373, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.04.031

More information is available via my ResearchGate profile.