TUT PhD advances cheetah conservation in South Africa

Jeanette Fouché, TUT PhD graduate, advances cheetah conservation through research using citizen science and artificial intelligence to track long-term population trends.

Jeanette Fouché (left) and her supervisor Kelly Marnewick from the Department of Nature Conservation, with one of the posters used to source data on cheetahs through citizen science in the Kruger National Park. Jeanette Fouché, from the Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Science, has completed research that marks a significant contribution to cheetah conservation in South Africa.

Her study, titled Citizen science and artificial intelligence to evaluate long-term demographic trends of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus in the Kruger National Park, advances how cheetah populations are monitored and supports more effective conservation and management.

Fouché’s journey was not straightforward. She balanced multiple part-time jobs while navigating disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricted fieldwork during the park's closure to tourism forced her to shift her approach. She transformed the project into a highly statistical and computational study that pushed available resources to their limits.

Despite these challenges, she remained determined and resilient, producing work of exceptional quality.

She now contributes her expertise in a full-time role at the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, where she continues to make an impact in the field.