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Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
33
Citations
3822
World Ranking
7918
National Ranking
96

Overview

Izak P.J. Smit is affiliated with South African National Parks in South Africa, where they contribute primarily to the field of Environmental Science. Their research focus spans several interconnected subfields, including Global and Planetary Change, Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, and Sociology and Political Science.

Their scholarly output emphasizes topics such as Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Fire Effects on Ecosystems, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Conservation, Biodiversity and Resource Management, Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Rangeland and Wildlife Management, and Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology.

Recent papers authored or co-authored by Izak P.J. Smit include:

  • "Sustainability of protected areas: Vulnerabilities and opportunities as revealed by COVID-19 in a national park management agency" (2021), Biological Conservation
  • "Cultural ecosystem services as complex outcomes of people-nature interactions in protected areas" (2020), Ecosystem Services
  • "Recent droughts in the Kruger National Park as reflected in the extreme climate index" (2020), African Journal of Range and Forage Science
  • "Megaherbivore response to droughts under different management regimes: lessons from a large African savanna" (2020), African Journal of Range and Forage Science
  • "Managing biodiversity in the Anthropocene: discussing the Nature Futures Framework as a tool for adaptive decision-making for nature under climate change" (2022), Sustainability Science

The scientist has frequently published in journals such as African Journal of Range and Forage Science, Koedoe, Biological Conservation, Conservation Science and Practice, and Journal of Applied Ecology.

Collaborative work forms an important part of their research, with frequent co-authors including Tercia Strydom, Dirk J. Roux, Stefanie Freitag, Bernard W. T. Coetzee, and Marcel Urban. These collaborations reflect a network spanning diverse expertise in environmental and ecological sciences.

Best Publications

  • Mapping tree species composition in South African savannas using an integrated airborne spectral and LiDAR system

    Moses Azong Cho;Renaud Mathieu;Gregory P. Asner;Laven Naidoo

  • Do artificial waterholes influence the way herbivores use the landscape? Herbivore distribution patterns around rivers and artificial surface water sources in a large African savanna park

    Izak P.J. Smit;Izak P.J. Smit;Cornelia C. Grant;Bernard J. Devereux

  • Ecology of grazing lawns in Africa

    Gareth P. Hempson;Gareth P. Hempson;Sally Archibald;Sally Archibald;William J. Bond;William J. Bond;Roger P. Ellis

  • Effects of fire on woody vegetation structure in African savanna

    Izak P. J. Smit;Gregory P. Asner;Navashni Govender;Ty Kennedy-Bowdoin

  • Ecosystem‐scale effects of megafauna in African savannas

    Gregory P. Asner;Nicholas Vaughn;Izak P. J. Smit;Izak P. J. Smit;Shaun Levick

  • An examination of the potential efficacy of high-intensity fires for reversing woody encroachment in savannas

    Izak P. J. Smit;Izak P. J. Smit;Gregory P. Asner;Navashni Govender;Navashni Govender;Nicholas R. Vaughn

  • Predicting the Effects of Woody Encroachment on Mammal Communities, Grazing Biomass and Fire Frequency in African Savannas

    Izak P. J. Smit;Herbert H. T. Prins

  • Sustainability of protected areas: Vulnerabilities and opportunities as revealed by COVID-19 in a national park management agency

    M. Kyle S. Smith;Izak P.J. Smit;Izak P.J. Smit;Louise K. Swemmer;Mohlamatsane M. Mokhatla

  • Disruption of Rhino Demography by Poachers May Lead to Population Declines in Kruger National Park, South Africa

    Sam M. Ferreira;Cathy Greaver;Grant A. Knight;Mike H. Knight

  • Impact of communal land use and conservation on woody vegetation structure in the Lowveld savannas of South Africa

    K.J. Wessels;R. Mathieu;B.F.N. Erasmus;G.P. Asner

  • The ongoing development of a pragmatic and adaptive fire management policy in a large African savanna protected area

    Brian W. van Wilgen;Navashni Govender;Izak P.J. Smit;Sandra MacFadyen

  • Finding Common Ground between Adaptive Management and Evidence-Based Approaches to Biodiversity Conservation.

    Lindsey Gillson;Harry Biggs;Izak P.J. Smit;Izak P.J. Smit;Malika Virah-Sawmy

  • Toward structural assessment of semi-arid African savannahs and woodlands: The potential of multitemporal polarimetric RADARSAT-2 fine beam images

    Renaud Mathieu;Laven Naidoo;Moses A. Cho;Brigitte Leblon

  • Landscape‐scale sexual segregation in the dry season distribution and resource utilization of elephants in Kruger National Park, South Africa

    I. P. J. Smit;I. P. J. Smit;C. C. Grant;I. J. Whyte

  • Unsustainable fuelwood extraction from South African savannas.

    K J Wessels;K J Wessels;M S Colgan;B F N Erasmus;G P Asner

  • Rainfall, geology and landscape position generate large-scale spatiotemporal fire pattern heterogeneity in an African savanna

    Izak P.J. Smit;Chris F. Smit;Navashini Govender;Michael J. Van der Linde

  • Surface Moisture and Vegetation Cover Analysis for Drought Monitoring in the Southern Kruger National Park Using Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8

    Marcel Urban;Christian Berger;Tami E. Mudau;Kai Heckel

  • Management intervention affects river-bound spatial dynamics of elephants

    Izak P.J. Smit;Sam M. Ferreira

  • Kruger National Park research supersites: Establishing long-term research sites for cross-disciplinary, multiscaled learning

    Izak P.J. Smit;Edward S. Riddell;Carola Cullum;Robin Petersen

  • Managing surface-water in a large semi-arid savanna park: Effects on grazer distribution patterns

    I.P.J. Smit;I.P.J. Smit;C.C. Grant

  • Elephants and water provision: what are the management links?

    I. P. J. Smit;C. C. Grant;I. J. Whyte

  • Impact of communal land use and conservation on woody vegetation structure in the Lowveld savannas o

    Konrad J. Wessels;Renaud Mathieu;Barend Erasmus;Gregory P. Asner

Frequent Co-Authors

Gregory P. Asner
Gregory P. Asner Arizona State University
Konrad J Wessels
Konrad J Wessels George Mason University
Michael J. Peel
Michael J. Peel Cardiff University
Christiane Schmullius
Christiane Schmullius Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Renaud Mathieu
Renaud Mathieu International Rice Research Institute
Sally Archibald
Sally Archibald University of the Witwatersrand
Shaun R. Levick
Shaun R. Levick Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Herbert H. T. Prins
Herbert H. T. Prins Wageningen University & Research
William J. Bond
William J. Bond University of Cape Town
David E. Knapp
David E. Knapp Arizona State University

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Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Pursuing a degree in Ecology and Evolution opens the door to diverse interdisciplinary career options. Many students interested in environmental science, the biological sciences, or understanding complex systems also consider studies in related fields, such as counseling or psychology, to address broader human and societal challenges.

Graduates may find value in programs like online clinical mental health counseling programs or the flexibility of counseling masters programs online. These pathways can help individuals support community well-being and resilience, incorporating ecological knowledge into mental health initiatives.

Other students may be drawn to the intersection of psychology and law, with specialized options like a forensic psychology degree. Those interested in developmental science or advocacy can explore an online masters in child psychology, focusing on youth well-being in the face of environmental change.

Exploring these online degree programs expands career opportunities in research, policy, education, and mental health—all valuable for those passionate about the future of ecosystems, populations, and communities.

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