Alanna Rebelo Lab

Alanna Rebelo

PhD | Pri. Sci. Nat.

Agricultural Research Council, Natural Resources & Engineering, Water Science Unit (Senior Researcher)

Stellenbosch University, Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology (Research Fellow)

About me

I am a senior researcher in the Water Science unit with the Agricultural Research Council, Natural Resources and Engineering. I concurrently hold a research fellow position in the Conservation Ecology and Entomology Department at Stellenbosch University.

I studied Zoology and Ecology at the University of Cape Town and went on to do my Masters research at Stellenbosch University on the hydrological benefits of restoration. In 2011 I was privileged to receive a prestigious Green Talent Award by the German Ministry of Education and Research.

In 2014 I received an Erasmus Mundus scholarship to do my PhD abroad, and I chose to do my doctorate at Antwerp University in Belgium on South African palmiet wetlands and their ecosystem services. In November 2017 I graduated with a joint PhD degree from Stellenbosch University and the University of Antwerp.

Subsequently I took up a two year postdoctoral position at Stellenbosch University working on the Socio-Economic Benefits of Ecological Infrastructure (SEBEI) project from 2018-2020. From 2020-2021 I took on a second postdoctoral position focusing on Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in the Peri-Urban: Linking Ecological, Social and Economic Dimensions (NATWiP) project.

I am currently involved in multiple research projects, including on mapping woody invasive alien plants in key catchments in South Africa (both a project funded by the WRC and by NASA), a hydrological modelling intercomparison study, and a study on South African peatlands.

Research Interests

My major research theme is on understanding the benefits of nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration and clearing of biological invasions, using applied remote sensing and hydrological modelling approaches.

This website showcases:

Some of my interesting research projects, past and present, which I either lead, or am a team member on, like MapWAPS, BioSCape, MURRA and SEBEI (see ecohydrology),
Some of my research interests: like peatlands, ecohydrology, plant water-use
I also introduce my great students, current and graduated,
and list some of my key publications.

Committee Involvement

Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) - Africa

Co-Chair of the International Chapter

Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) - Africa is housed within the "International Chapter" of the International Society of Wetland Scientists. This Region brings together wetland scientists and practitioners from Africa.

Check out our website and Facebook page as well as the official society website.

Key activities:

Wetlands Training event in Lagos Nigeria, October 2024
SWS-Africa and SAWS collaborative webinar: A tour of wetland student research in Africa, August 2024

South African Hydrological Society (SAHS)

Treasurer

Our aim is to revitalize the hydrology community of practice in South Africa. We are building on the legacy of past hydrological initiatives, such as SANCIAHS (South African National Committee for the International Association of Hydrological Sciences). We organise a biennial hydrology conference.

South African Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Research Network (SAEBARN)

Member

The SAEBARN is dedicated to promoting collaboration, knowledge exchange, and capacity building within the scientific community focused on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in South Africa. It aims to provide scientific support to different organisations, while also prioritising research areas, identifying funding opportunities, and promoting cross-disciplinary synergy in the field of climate change adaptation.