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I explore my people’s sacred space to protect biodiversity

Zoleka Filander leads research in South African waters to shield vulnerable marine life and honour her Indigenous community.
  1. James Mitchell Crow

    1. James Mitchell Crow is a freelance writer, based in Melbourne, Australia.

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Zoleka Filander pictured aboard the research ship RV Algoa.

Zoleka Filander is an ecologist at the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa. Credit: Barry Christianson for Nature

As a deep-sea researcher at South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs, I lead marine research that helps the country to reach its ocean-sustainability goals, especially the establishment of marine-protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are like national parks, but in the ocean.

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Nature 616, 852 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01374-6

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 28 April 2023: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that Zoleka Filander has a role in advising on permits. It also misstated how tribe members interact with the ocean.

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