Dr Heidi-Jayne Hawkins

heidi.hawkins@uct.ac.za
hhawkins@conservation.org

ORCID: 0000-0001-9334-0669

Google scholar link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=QArZRgYAAAAJ

My research interests are in plant physiology, functional ecology, and biogeochemistry, especially as they relate to conservation efforts in the face of global change. I did my undergraduate studies in South Africa and obtained a PhD from the University of Hohenheim in Germany where I worked on the contribution on mycorrhizal fungi to plant nutrition. I was recently part of a team that made the first global estimate of mycorrhizal fungi as a carbon pool. I mainly work at the interface of academia and conservation, being a HRA at UCT and employed at Conservation South Africa. Debunking myths in grazing science (with Prof Mike Cramer) is one example of research that was relevant to land conservation and management. I am part of a team at Conservation International developing an "African Roadmap for Natural Climate Solutions" to be launched at COP 30 in 2025. This involves identifying pathways to protect, better manage, and restore ecosystems in biome-appropriate ways, e.g., not the afforestation of primary grasslands! In this regard, we collaborate with scientists to find high quality data layers, and test whether and how native plants and animals might reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon dioxide removals (e.g., collaborations with the Smithsonian Institute, and in-house with Prof Cramer and Dr Charlene Janion-Scheepers). Current projects are testing the impact of herbivores on land surface albedo, soil organic carbon, and ecosystem carbon via field surveys and biogeochemical modelling. My research vision is to better integrate research with conservation planning and implementation.