Brief CV for
Sukhmani Kaur Mantel
Institute for Water Research,
Old Geology Building, P.O. box 94
Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
+27 (0)46 6224014, Email: s.mantel()ru.ac.za
Indian heritage by birth

Recent experience:

Presently, I am a Rhodes Postdoc Fellow at the Institute for Water Research (IWR) at Rhodes University, South Africa. My recent research has invested aspects of river conservation in South Africa in the context of water quantity and quality impacts of small dams (see publications). I am also managing a WRC funded project on climate change impacts on water services delivery by two South African water boards. Starting October 2008, I have been the secretariat for the Sub-Saharan Africa Water Resources Network (SSAWRN) funded by Carnegie Foundation of New York (Regional Initiative in Science and Education). The network aims at training postgraduate students in water resources science to build capacity for African academia.

My Ph.D. in Stream Ecology focused on the ecology and biology of a predatory freshwater shrimp in Hong Kong streams. I have had a diverse set of work experiences, including working as an ecological consultant on various projects, including, identifying stream invertebrates to assess impacts of mining. I have also investigated the population dynamics, habitat usage and habitat requirements of water buffaloes in a freshwater wetland for a local NGO, Lantau Buffalo Association (Hong Kong). The project aimed at designing a plan for preservation of a sustainable population of feral water buffaloes in a wetland. Following this, I was a Senior Research Officer in the Center for Urban Planning and Environmental Management (CUPEM, The University of Hong Kong) investigating voluntary partnerships between environmental NGOs, government and businesses in Hong Kong. Another short-term project in CUPEM surveyed customers and restaurant owners for selection criteria of live reef fish in Hong Kong so as to recommend ways forward for conservation of live reef fishes in Southeast Asia. I have previously worked as an instructor for a US biomedical manufacturer training field service engineers.

Major publications are listed below:

Hughes D.A. and S.K. Mantel (2010)

Estimating the uncertainty in the impacts of small farm dams on streamflow regimes in South Africa. Hydrological Sciences Journal 55: 578-592.

Mantel S.K., D.A. Hughes and W.J. Muller (2010)

Ecological impacts of small dams on South African rivers: I. Drivers of change - water quantity and quality. Water SA 36: 351-360.

Mantel S.K., W.J. Muller and D.A. Hughes (2010)

Ecological impacts of small dams on South African rivers: II. Biotic response - abundance and composition of macroinvertebrate communities. Water SA 36: 361-370.

Dudgeon D., F.K.W. Cheung and S.K. Mantel (2010)

Food-web structure in streams: do we need new models for the tropics? Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29:395-412.

Rivers-Moore N.A., D.A. Hughes, S.K. Mantel and T.R. Hill (2008)

First steps in the development of a water temperature model framework for refining the ecological Reserve in South African rivers. Water SA 34(5): 585-596.

Mantel S.K., D. Cheung, R. Welford and P. Hills (2007)

Cooperative business-NGO partnerships in Hong Kong: NGO perspective. International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 6: 174-192.

Mantel S.K., D. Cheung, R. Welford and P. Hills (2007)

Cooperation for environmental reform: business-NGO partnerships in Hong Kong. Journal of Corporate Citizenship 27: 91-106.

Mantel S. K. and D. Dudgeon (2004)

Dietary variation in a predatory shrimp Macrobrachium hainanense (Palaemonidae) in Hong Kong forest streams. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 160: 305-328.

Mantel S. K. and D. Dudgeon (2004)

Effects of Macrobrachium hainanense predation on benthic community functioning in tropical Asian streams. Freshwater Biology 49: 1306-1319.

Mantel S. K. and D. Dudgeon (2004)

Growth and production of a tropical predatory shrimp, Macrobrachium hainanense (Palaemonidae), in two Hong Kong streams. Freshwater Biology 49: 1320-1336.