Before graduating, Prediger worked closely with NUST’s Biodiversity Research Centre (BRC) in partnership with the Namibian Pangolin Working Group.
Her work on the ecology and feeding preferences of pangolins provided valuable insight that contributed towards the protection and management of these secretive and endangered animals in Namibia. “Alarming numbers of pangolins as well as their scales and skins are smuggled to China, where they are deemed a sought- after ingredient for traditional medicines,” Prof Morgan Hauptfleisch from the Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences explained.
PCRF’s conservation efforts include active field research and study, working with partners to inform policy and conservation guidelines, and working within communities to raise awareness and prevent further harm. “PCRF was founded to fill a gap in the conservation efforts of pangolins with a focus on research, informed conservation planning and increased awareness,” Prediger said.
She was also selected to serve on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Pangolin Specialist Group recently, and says that seeing her research applied to address a conservation concern is extremely rewarding.