South Africa's Hidden Predators

How ecotoxicology reveals the hidden movement of pollution through marine and terrestrial food webs and why it matters for wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.

Dr Catherine Hauw explores how heavy metal pollution moves through interconnected marine and terrestrial food webs in Southern Africa. Using predator species as ecological indicators, it reveals how contaminants such as lead and zinc accumulate across ecosystems and even cross from ocean to land. The presentation highlights recent field findings and explains why understanding pollution pathways is critical for both wildlife conservation and human health.

ABOUT CATHERINE HAUW

Dr Catherine Hauw is a wildlife veterinarian and PhD researcher in wildlife toxicology at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her work focuses on pollutant exposure in apex predators and scavengers across Southern Africa, combining ecotoxicology with a One Health approach. She investigates how environmental contaminants move through ecosystems and uses wildlife as sentinels to better understand ecological and human health risks.