Linda Harris

Dr Linda Harris is a Research Associate at the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research at Nelson Mandela University. She is a spatial ecologist working in coastal and marine systems with interests in systematic conservation planning, marine spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management, and mapping biodiversity patterns, ecological processes, and ecosystem services for inclusion in spatial prioritization. Dr Harris specializes in sandy beach ecology, and is passionate about advancing land sea connectivity in conservation and management, especially across the dune beach --( sea interface.

She is currently involved in three projects Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the Benguela Current region ( cross realm coastal biodiversity assessment and planning in South Africa, including identification and integration of culturally significant areas in planning CoastWise and identifying offshore biodiversity priority areas to support expansion of Marine Protected Areas in South Africa iAtlantic. Her favourite research is quantitative and hypothesis driven.