Organization for Tropical Studies

Mark Keith
mkeith.za@gmail.com

Education

2005: Philosopiae Doctor (Ph.D.) - University of Pretoria.

1999: Magister Scientiae (M.Sc.)- University of Pretoria

1997: Baccalaureus Scientiae Honores (B.Sc. Hons)- University of Pretoria

1996: Baccalaureus Scientiae (B.Sc.) - University of Pretoria

Teaching Experience

Lecturer ( University of Pretoria), 1 st year Biology components focusing on comparative animal physiology. Responsibilities include course planning, organising practical lectures, compiling lecture & practical notes and setting up tests and exams. Twenty six lectures and eight practical sessions for +60 students. August – December 2006.
Graduate Teaching Assistant for 3 rd year BSc. students in Conservation Ecology ( University of Pretoria) on two week field excursion to Drakensberg South Africa / Lesotho . Actively involved in planning and executing field survey techniques focusing on estimating species richness and abundance of fauna and flora taxa that are relevant to conservation ecology. September / October 2006.
Teaching assistant and lecturer for field course work for 2 nd and 3 rd year BSc. students in Wildlife Management BSc. Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania. (Assisted in development of field work curriculum and lectured on functional mammal morphology). June 2006.
Lectured components for the Environmental Studies African Foreign Study Program (AFSP) of Dartmouth College (USA) based at the University of Pretoria, South Africa . (Classroom and field lectures). September-November 2000-2002, 2004 & 2006.
Lectured in Biology & Conservation Biology for undergraduate and MSc. courses (Department of Zoology and Entomology and Centre for Environmental Studies) University of Pretoria. 2002 & 2003, 2006.
Teaching assistant for 1 st year Zoology – Animal Diversity. 1997.
Educational lectures for volunteer, school and interest groups on marine and terrestrial conservation (1997-2006).
Co-supervisor: M. Sibanda (for MSc. fulfilment). Potential land transformation threats to the habitat and persistence of the Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, in South Africa. With Dr. B Erasmus at the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. January 2004 –July 2005.

Co-supervisor: J. Wilson (for MSc. fulfilment).Species, environment, humans and space: partitioning spatial variation between these variables in South Africa. With Dr. B.J. van Rensburg and Prof. J. Ferguson at the Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa. January 2004 – July 2005.

Research interests

My research interests are broad with my graduate education in Zoology and Ecology, but there has always been a consistent pattern throughout all my research. Conservation and mammals - ranging from species specific conservation strategies, to conservation prioritisation and assessments of threats.

My research has involved studies on population, social biology and ecology of species, and human induced threats to these populations. My PhD studies examined broader conservation assessment techniques and the prioritisation of South African mammals. I have been involved with regional and global IUCN Red List assessments, working for the IUCN Global Mammal Assessment, in the USA for a six month period. This has tweaked my interest in the lesser known, non charismatic, usually data deficient or near threatened mammals and the threats they face.

My research interest also focused on trying to understand regional mechanisms, both biological and anthropogenic, that account for the threat to, and the extinction of taxa, to better understand proximate and ultimate threats to taxa. Understanding these threats should allow us to better develop conservation actions especially in response to future human demographic development and demands.

Publications

Wilson , J.W., van Rensburg, B.J., Ferguson, J.W.F. & Keith, M. In Press. The relative importance of environment, human activity and space in explaining species richness in bird orders . Journal of Biogeography.

Keith, M. & Warren, M. 2007. Can the relationship between anthropogenic variables and South African plants richness be used as a threat proxy? Bothalia 37(1): 79–88

Keith, M. , Chimimba, C.T., Reyers, B., & van Jaarsveld, A. S. 2007. Prioritising South African terrestrial mammals for regional conservation action. African Zoology 42:97-111.

Germishuizen, G., Meyer, N.L., Steenkamp, Y. & Keith, M. (eds) 2006. A checklist of South African plants. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 41. SABONET, Pretoria.

Keith, M. , Reyers, B., Chimimba, C.T. & van Jaarsveld, A. S. 2005. Taxonomic and phylogenetic distinctiveness in regional conservation assessments: A case study based on extant South African Chiroptera and Carnivora. Animal Conservation 8(3): 279-288.

Victor, J. E. & Keith M. 2004. The Orange List: a safety net for biodiversity in South Africa. South African Journal of Science 100: 139-141.

Keith, M. 2004 . (Technical editor). Geographic Information System (GIS) data of South African mammals. Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa. [Website: http://zoology.up.ac.za/samammals].

Keith, M. 2003. Threatened Species Programme – an overview of succulent plants in South Africa. Aloe 40 (3&4): 64-67.

Keith , M., Peddemors, V.M., Bester, M.N. & Ferguson, J.W.H. 2002. Population characteristics of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins at Richards Bay, South Africa: implications for incidental capture in shark nets. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 32 (2): 153–162.

Keith, M . & van Jaarsveld, A.S. 2002. Revisiting Green Data Species Lists. Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 1313-1316.

Forthcoming submissions:

Keith, M., Reyers, B., Chimimba, C.T. & van Jaarsveld, A. S. In prep. Regional IUCN Red List assessments for South African terrestrial and marine mammals: An overview.

Keith, M. & Chimimba, C.T. In prep. Orange list of South African mammals.

Keith, M., Røskaft, E. & Ringsby, T.H. In Prep. The impact of available food resources and weather conditions on human birth rates in pre-industrial Norway.

Vikan, J.R., Stokke, B., Røskaft, E., Moksness, A., Keith, M., & Carlsen, T.H. In Prep. Flexibility of chaffinch nest defence behaviour.

Conference Presentation

5 th TAWIRI Annual Scientific Conference, Arusha, Tanzania. 2005 .
Presented: The Orange List: a safety net for biodiversity in South Africa. Fynbos Forum, Langebaan, R.S.A. 2004.
Presented: Threatened Species Programme: an overview. Succulenta 2003, Succulent Society, Calitzdorp. R.S.A. 2003.
Presented: Setting conservation priorities in South Africa – mammals. Ecological Society of Australia and New Zealand. Cairns, Australia. 2002
Contributed to presentation: State of South Africa’s species, EWT & WWF, Johannesburg. R.S.A. 2001.
Poster: Green Data List. Student Conference on Conservation Science Cambridge, UK. 2001
Presented: Killer whales & Setting conservation priorities; Zoological Society of Southern Africa Symposium. Durban, 1999 & Port Elizabeth R.S.A. 2001. Attended Cape Town 2003.
Presented: Richards Bay Humpback Dolphin Project and acoustic warning devices. Oceanographic Research Institute Symposium, Durban. R.S.A. 1999