OBITUARY
Dr David F. Joubert
21.11.1959 – 15.12.2018
D
ave Joubert passed away unex-
pectedly on 15 December 2018,
during an operation in Cape
Town. He had been a member of the
GSSA since 2013 and his wisdom, hu-
mour, friendship and humanity will be
sorely missed by the whole Rangeland
Fraternity.
Dave had been a teacher for most of
his life: he started out at Duneside High
School Walvis Bay in 1985.
Since 1994, he had been a lecturer in
the Department of Natural Resources
and Tourism at the Polytechnic of Na-
mibia (Now the Namibia University of
Science and Technology).
He will be remembered by countless
students and researchers, whom he in-
spired and mentored.
Dave was known for his interests in
rangeland management (and had de-
veloped an expert system for rangeland
management with an emphasis on bush
encroachment).
He was also interested in invasive plant
species as well as the dynamics of bush
encroachment.
In 2014, he completed his PhD through
the University of the Free State, looking
at the dynamics of bush thickening by
Acacia mellifera in the highland savanna
of Namibia.
In 2012, he was on the scientific com-
mittee for the 47th GSSA Congress in
Langebaan where he developed a spe-
35
Figure 1: Dr Dave Joubert sharing his knowledge
cial bush encroachment session.
His impact on research in the savanna
and his contribution to the function-
ing of Namibia’s natural systems will be
greatly missed among the ecological
community and our condolences go out
to Dave’s family and friends.
Grassroots
Vol 19
No 1
March 2019