As die enigste verteenwoordiger van Suid-Afrika en die Afrika-vasteland het Carika van Zyl van Aurora haar plek aan boord van die Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, wat onder die vlag van die Verenigde Nasies deur die Suidwes-Indiese Oseaan gevaar het, ingeneem. Daar was sy deel van ‘n span spesialis-wetenskaplikes uit elf lande, wat saamgekom het om Walter’s Shoal \u2013 ‘n baie belangrike marienegebied, wetenskaplik te ondersoek en te dokumenteer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die projek, wat sowat vyf jaar se beplanning geverg het, het gefokus op die bestudering en beskrywing van die ondersese berge by Banana Shoal en Walter’s Shoal. Die gebiede l\u00ea binne die Bentiese vissery- geslote gebiede ingevolge die Suid-Indiese Oseaan-Visserye-ooreenkoms (SIOFA). Hulle het gebied binne en langs die geslote gebied getoets en akoestiese opnames geneem.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Zyl is met haar agtergrond as soogdierkenner en jare se ervaring om met verskeie bote in die Suidelike Oseaan tussen Antartika en Sub-Sahara uit te vaar, gekies om deel van die Nansen-program te wees, wat drie weke geduur het.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volgens Van Zyl is baie lande deel van die SIOFA om daar vis te vang. Dit is dus van kardinale belang dat die volhoubare bestuur van diepsee-vis as voedselbron verseker word. “Ons weet bitter min van die gebied en die projek word gesien as baanbrekerswerk om ‘n saamgestelde wetenskaplike beskrywing en begrip van die gebied te verkry en hoe dit werk.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die span van altesaam 20 wetenskaplikes het meer as 800 seemyl van die Suid-Afrikaanse kus af \u2013 net suid van Madagaskar \u2013 afgel\u00ea. Hulle het afgele\u00eb onderwaterlandskappe en kwesbare mariene-ekostelsels gekarteer \u2013 van seelewe en koraalriwwe tot seevo\u00ebls en ander mariene spesies wat in die gebied voorkom. Hierdie omvattende projek is deel van ‘n internasionale poging om beter wetenskaplike data vir die volhoubare bestuur van die w\u00eareld se oseane te versamel. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ho\u00ebresolusie- batimetriese kaarte is opgestel om die bodemprofiel te beskryf, terwyl gevorderde kameras gebruik is om bodemhabitats te bestudeer. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monsters is versamel en aan boord ontleed om te bepaal hoe die gebied biologies funksioneer. Waterkolom-eienskappe is op verskillende dieptes gemeet en chemiese, biologiese en fisieke kenmerke is geanaliseer.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Zyl se werk het veral gefokus om seevo\u00ebls en mariene soogdierspesies se gedrag en aktiwiteite aan te teken. Elke studiegebied is gekies om soveel as moontlike data bymekaar te maak sodat die gebied volhoubaar bestuur kan word.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vanuit haar woning in Aurora, waar sy die afgelope tien jaar woon, is Carika ook ‘n ywerige tuinier en vo\u00eblkyker. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sy het ‘n klein oase in haar tuin gestabiliseer waar tot 32 vo\u00eblspesies per jaar voorkom. Haar een boom word jaarliks deur 95 Kaapse wewerbroeipare gebruik. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hoewel sy in Johannesburg gebore is, het sy in Ceres en Malmesbury grootgeword. Dit is daar waar sy haar liefde vir die natuur ontwikkel het \u2013 tussen die fynbos, bergpoele en die soeke na boesmantekeninge. Sy het Natuurbewaring by KSUT studeer en is toe na die Saasveld Saasveld-bosboukollege (Nelson Mandela Universiteit George-kampus) waar sy haar meestersgraad verwerf het. Haar diploma en BTech was meestal te- restrieel- en kus-gefokus. Haar meesters was op die toetsing van ‘n moniteringsprogram en mariene beskermde gebiede. Haar spesialiteit is wetenskaplike moniteringsprogramme.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vir haar was dit ‘n groot eer om Suid-Afrika as spanleier te verteenwoordig, om ‘n unieke bydrae met haar werk te lewer en om dit met mense wat dieselfde passie as sy het, te kon deel.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die hoogtepunt vir haar was om van die hoogste punt op die boot \u2013 die kraaines \u2013 waar te neem en daagliks die fassinerende seevo\u00ebls dop te hou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die grootmalmokke (wandering albatross) se vlerkspan kan tot 3,5m wees. Om te sien hoe die jong malmokke leer vlieg en hoe hulle hul millennia oue unieke groet uitvoer, was vir haar baie spesiaal.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sy deel ook mee dat seevo\u00ebls ‘n belangrike rol in die funksionering van mariene ekostelsels vervul. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hulle is hoogs gespesialiseerde en topvlak roofdiere en verseker dat die oppervlak van die oseaan skoon bly. Hulle sirkuleer energie en word as bio-aanwysers van oseaangesondheid gesien. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hulle reguleer prooi-bevolkings soos visse en skaaldiere, terwyl hul guano noodsaaklike voedingstowwe aan kus-ekostelsels verskaf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daarbenewens tree hulle op as mobiele skakels tussen land en see, wat voedingstowwe oor ekostesels heen vervoer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grootmalmokke kan tussen vyf en agt miljoen kilometer gedurende hul leeftyd vlieg.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Zyl is tans besig om die data vir publikasie te verwerk en bestuur daagliks die pelagiese visbedryf se wetenskaplike waarnemersprojek. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Vir my is die natuur meer as net ‘n studieveld. Dit is ‘n lewenslange liefde,” s\u00ea sy en voeg by dit is iets wat sy met onwrikbare toewyding en passie uitleef.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Van Zyl is met haar agtergrond as soogdierkenner en jare se ervaring om met verskeie bote in die Suidelike Oseaan tussen Antartika en Sub-Sahara uit te vaar, gekies om deel van die Nansen-program te wees, wat drie weke geduur 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