The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

The Birdy Botanist

Tania Anderson – Conservation biologist | Nature gardens | Nature photographer | Writer

Botany and Birds

One can’t exist without the other! I feel very privileged to work as a conservationist, amongst the plants, birds, pollinators, and a myriad of other wildlife. My focus is on vegetation and ecosystem change, ecology and bird conservation in the arid areas of South Africa, mainly the Kalahari and Karoo.  I also offer qualified, cost-effective and credible ecological and botanical surveys, including specialist studies for impact assessments. My latest conservation initiative is designing and developing nature gardens, also known as indigenous, ecological or wild gardens, to bring back nature to urban areas. An added benefit of ecological gardens is that they help to restore ecosystems and their biodiversity.  I am grateful to all the passionate people who are on the same journey as me to try conserve the earth’s ecosystems, its biodiversity, and who are saving species and habitats. They inspire me! Now, more than ever before, we need to work harder to conserve and restore biodiversity.

Monitoring ecosystem change

Tswalu


I am leading a programme to monitor ecosystem change at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the southern Kalahari, South Africa. The monitoring programme documents long-term change through a fixed point photographic record and transect-based sampling. It is one of many research projects at Tswalu that raises more questions and provides answers on how to restore and conserve the southern Kalahari.


Ecological surveys

EIA-treemarking



I offer qualified, cost-effective and credible ecological and botanical surveys, including specialist studies for impact assessments. The inputs provided are objective, balanced and often innovative, based on knowledge and experience gained from working in arid environments for over 25 years. Most projects are in collaboration with consulting companies and other independent specialists. Click the read more button for further information and projects.


Nature garden designs

top wetland


Gardening brings precious moments of joy, inspiration, learning, and delight in being close to the glorious beauty of nature on our doorstep. But that’s not all! You give back to nature when creating an indigenous, natural garden with local flora that grows and evolves into an eco (ecological) garden for birds and other wildlife. Explore my nature gardens full of leaves, butterflies, bugs and feathers.


Flamingo conservation

Greater-flames



Flamboyant. Fabulous. Full of life. Coloured by blue-green algae and crustaceans. Flamingos give one many photographic opportunities and awesome viewing pleasure. Conserving them is a challenging task even though they are amongst the most popular birds globally. This project started in 2007, and together we hope to make it a success story soon.


Volunteering

vulture-ringing



Volunteering for BirdLife South Africa, one of South Africa’s top NGOs, which is doing critical work to conserve South Africa’s birds and their habitats, gives me more opportunities to do my bit for conservation.


Nature photography

Serval


My photography is focussed on raising awareness about biodiversity and promoting conservation. It is also a way of recording Mother Earth’s glorious diversity of life before it is lost forever. Besides this my photographs capture and celebrate nature’s beauty, abundance and resilience. Not least of all, it is a wonderful distraction from everyday life.  Click the photos button to see some of my wildlife, habitat and adventure photos.


Reading

Sand art Breatheablueocean



One way I hope to raise awareness and encourage a love for nature is through writing. Birders and birding spots in South Africa were regularly featured in Country Life magazine (discontinued in July 2020). Read more about some of South Africa’s top birders and twitchers, and other conservation topics and projects that inspire me.


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