There are two South African partners involved in the StopRats project, the Agricultural Research Council - Plant Protection Research Institute and the University of Venda.
The University of Venda is the lead partner for Work Package 1: Developing an African-appropriate response for rodent pest management problems. This workpackage is run by the University of Venda's South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Biodiversity and Change in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. The Chair is a vibrant hub for biodiversity science, training and conservation application in the Southern African Development Community – a body of established and emerging researchers, postgraduate and postdoctoral candidates. The Research Chair, co-hosted by the Centre for Invasion Biology at the University of Stellenbosch, is funded by the Department of Science and Technology and administered by the National Research Foundation.
The StopRats team from University of Venda is led by Peter Taylor and Lourens Swanepoel in collaboration with Mark Keith from University of Pretoria, with field support from two University of Venda Masters' students, Lesly Nembudani and Naudene Maree and additional support from Sachile Mkhize. The team has been very active during 2015 with rodent collecting undertaken at the two study villages of Vyeboom of Ndengeza in northern Limpopo, a stakeholder workshop hosted at University of Limpopo, an international field school hosted at Lajuma Research Centre and the annual project workshop in Pretoria.
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The Agricultural Research Council is a premier science institution that conducts research with partners, develops human capital and fosters innovation to support and develop the agricultural sector. The Plant Protection Research Institute (ARC-PPRI) of the ARC’s Crop Sciences programme is located at Roodeplaat near Pretoria and provides knowledge of the organisms that threaten agricultural crops and plants in natural environments. The ARC-PPRI’s Pesticide Science Programme is involved with research on the impact of pesticides on the environment, the ecotoxicology and efficacy of pesticides, pesticide residue analysis, suitable pesticide application technology, Quelea bird control, the control of pests of stored grain and oil seed, and ecologically-based rodent management.
The StopRats team from ARC-PPRI consists of Fanie Malebana, Frikkie Kirsten and Emil von Maltitz. Team members actively participated in the regional stakeholder workshop in Limpopo in February 2015, in the two international field schools held in Madagascar in October 2014 and at Lajuma in March 2015, presented papers on aspects of rodent management at the 12th African Small Mammal Symposium held in Mantasoa, Madagascar in April 2015, and are founder members of Rodenticide Integrated Management (RIM) Group, a Gauteng-based discussion group of rodent pest control operators, manufacturers and research. ARC-PPRI hosted the first StopRats annual review workshop at the ARC Convention Centre in Hatfield, Pretoria during 10-13 March 2015.
Contact: Emil von Maltitz