Research interest and background
My interests lie in (1) the patterns and processes structuring the distribution of the diversity of life (2) how human activities are changing those distributions and (3) what this means for conservation. As such, I combine a range of disciplines in conservation science, with a focus on biogeography, protected areas and global change drivers. Iím also interested in science-policy and science-public interfaces. I have an applied conservation focus, and much of my interests revolve around understanding whether our interventions are effective at biodiversity conservation, why and where we are failing, and advance techniques to address this fundamental issue.
My PhD research firstly focuses on large scale biogeographic patterns and processes. The analysis considers body size frequency distributions across the entire Afrotropical bird assemblages and alternative methodologies to describe these relationships. Secondly, there are few studies on Protected Areas (PAs) ecological performance, meaning if and how they conserve the biodiversity features they are meant to. I also assess PAs performance in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, by comparing bird assemblages inside and outside the reserve along an intensifying gradient of human land use.
I have seven academic publications in peer reviewed journals (as of November 2012) and various popular publications. Iíve presented widely at both national and international conferences. In 2008 I volunteered with the WWF Office in Fiji and worked on the implementation of UNFCCC processes in the region. I also volunteered as a researcher on Aldabra Atoll, mainly doing biological monitoring on a wide range of taxa for the Seychelles Island Foundation. Iím a member of the IUCNís World Commission on Protected Areas, the Society for Conservation Biology, an alumnus of the Tropical Biology Association, and co-found and co-chaired the Graduate Student Network of the South African Ecological Observation Network.
Iím a fanatical diver, Iím obsessed with flyfishing and developing an incurable birders twitch.
- Coetzee, B.W.T., Gaston, K.J., Chown, S.L. 2012. Protected areas achieve significant conservation outcomes. (In review) Science.
- Coetzee, B.W.T., Chown, S.L. 2012. Which species traits are at risk outside of protected areas? A test with South African avifauna. (In preparation) Conservation Biology.
- Coetzee, B.W.T., P. C. le Roux, Chown, S.L. Scale effects on the body size frequency distributions of African birds: patterns and potential mechanisms (In press). Global Ecology and Biogeography. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2012.00793.x
- Huntley, B., Barnard, P.E., Altwegg, R., Chambers, L., Coetzee, B.W.T., Gibson, L., Hockey, P.A.R., Hole, D.G., Midgley, G., Underhill, L., Willis, S. 2010. Beyond bioclimatic envelopes: Dynamic speciesí range and abundance modelling in the context of climatic change. Ecography 33: 1-6.
- Coetzee, B.W.T., Robertson, M.P., Erasmus, B.F.N., van Rensburg, B.J., Thuiller, W. 2009. Ensemble models predict Important Bird Areas in southern Africa to become less effective for conserving endemic birds under climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography 18: 701-710.
- Coetzee, B.W.T. 2008. Conservation with Caveats. Science 321: 340-341.
- Coetzee, B.W.T., Tincani, L., Wodu, Z., Mwasi, S. 2008. Overgrazing and bush encroachment by Tarchonanthus camphoratus in a semi-arid savanna. Journal of African Ecology 46: 449-451.
- Coetzee, B.W.T., van Rensburg, B.J., Robertson, M.P. 2007. Invasion of grasslands by silver wattle, Acacia dealbata (MIMOSACEAE) alters beetle (Coleoptera) assemblage structure. African Entomology 15: 328-339.
- van Jaarsveld, A.S., Pauw, J.C., Mundree, S., Mecenero, S., Coetzee, B.W.T., Alard, G.F. 2007. South African Environmental Observation Network: vision, design and status. South African Journal of Science 103: 289-294.
- Coetzee, B.W.T. The Limpopo River. In: Biomes and Ecosystems: An Encyclopedia. Ed: Robert Warren Howarth. (In review)