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May 2025: PhD student defends thesis on drone-based rangeland monitoring

On 13 May 2025, NamTip PhD student Vistorina Amputu (University of Tübingen) successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled “Leveraging Drone Technology to Optimise Monitoring in Drylands – A Case Study from Namibia’s Semi-Arid Rangelands”, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Katja Tielbörger and Prof. Dr. Nicola Knox .

Vistorina Amputu wearing the graduation hat and posing with her supervisor Prof. Katja Tielbörger
Photo: Vistorina Amputu
Fig. 1: Dr. Vistorina Amputu and her supervisor Prof. Katja Tielbörger

Vistorina's work demonstrates the transformative potential of drone-based remote sensing as a cost-effective and scalable tool for monitoring vegetation dynamics in dryland landscapes. Her findings contribute to advancing adaptive management strategies and improving ecological understanding of rangelands that are increasingly vulnerable to climate and land-use pressures.

Two chapters of the dissertation have already been published in the scientific journals Ecological Informatics and Remote Sensing, underscoring the academic significance of this research.

Many current and former colleagues from the NamTip project attended Dr. Amputu's defence both virtually over Zoom and in Tübingen to congratulate her on this remarkable achievement.

Vistorina Amputu poses with project colleagues who came to attend her defence; overview of virtual participants
Photo: Vistorina Amputu
Fig. 2: Many NamTip members attended Vistorina's defence both in-person (from left to right, Dr. Sara Heshmati, Vistorina Amputu, Florian Männer, and Lisa-Maricia Schwarz) and virtually over Zoom.