Dr Fezile Mtsetfwa is an interdisciplinary ecologist with broad research interests in plant ecology and global change ecology, and a strong commitment to the conservation of large trees in tropical savanna biomes. She joins the RSILIENCE team as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, where her research builds on emerging insights into savanna tree spatial patterns to better understand the ecological processes that shape them. Previously, Fezile was a Research Associate with the Future Ecosystems for Africa (FEFA) programme, contributing to the development of a scientific evidence base to support the sustainable management of trees in African savannas.

Research project: Mechanisms and Dynamics of Tree Spatial Patterns in African Landscapes

This research draws on insights from a broad spectrum of spatial patterns identified through meta-analysis, ranging from clustered to regular tree distributions, to investigate how different ecological mechanisms operate across environmental gradients from arid to mesic regions. In addition, the research examines whether observed tree patterns reflect self-organized dynamics driven by scale-dependent feedbacks, or whether they primarily arise from external factors such as landscape heterogeneity. These mechanisms are tested using tree location (x, y) data from long-term monitoring plots within the Socio-Ecological Observatory for Studying African Woodlands (SEOSAW). By evaluating how spatial structures shift across scales and environmental conditions, this work advances understanding of when savanna tree patterns may signal ecosystem resilience, when they may indicate vulnerability, and how they are likely to change under increasing climate stress.