The Indalo Institute

Director

Dr Jonah Gula

Dr Gula’s ecological field research experience encompasses work on mammals (American black bear, bighorn sheep, African lion, African wild dog, cheetah, North American river otter) and birds (Greater Sage-grouse, egrets, storks, ibises, spoonbills, herons, etc.) in a range of habitats, from the forests of New England, desert mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert, and prairies of the American Great Plains to the Florida Everglades, Zambezi River floodplains, and suburbs of South Africa. Since 2019 he has spear-headed many research projects on African birds, with a focus largely on poorly studied waterbirds. He has led the way in implementing novel research on the breeding and spatial ecology of many species, using technologies such as drones, camera traps, and GPS telemetry. He has also increasingly been involved in research on intra-African migration of small land birds. Dr Gula holds a BSc in Wildlife Biology from Unity College (2015), a MSc in Wildlife Ecology from Texas State University (2021), and a PhD in Ecological Sciences from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2025).

Co-Director

Pieter du Plessis

Pieter is a long-time business owner of Powertool Plus, a world-class industrial hardware supplier that works across Africa. Besides being a successful ‘hammer salesman,’ as he calls himself, Pieter has been an avid birdwatcher since his youth. His interest in birds eventually led him to pursue a certification in bird ringing (banding). Since then, he has ringed thousands of birds across multiple African countries, trained dozens of ringing apprentices, and spear-headed an effort to expand bird ringing work in other African countries (AFRING). His dedication to using bird ringing–and most recently tracking–to enhance African ornithology is what originally led him and Dr Gula to become acquainted and ultimately co-found The Indalo Institute in 2026 with Dr Burnett.

Co-Director

Dr Matthew Burnett

Dr Burnett began his career in the field of nature conservation and now focuses on research of freshwater ecosystems. His research experience spans the African continent and includes projects on inland fisheries, macroinvertebrate functional diversity, ecotoxicology, freshwater socioecology, and, waterbird ecology. Dr Burnett has particular expertise with fish telemetry for inland freshwater systems, and he co-developed the Southern African Inland Fish Tracking Programme (FISHTRAC) to assist with water resource and fisheries management. Through his use of technology to collect and analyse data, training to build capacity, and communication to translate research to management, Dr Burnett is committed to bringing people to a deeper value of freshwater ecosystems and their services that maintain people’s livelihoods.

Co-Director

Arrie Klopper

Arrie is an enthusiastic birder, a dedicated bird ringer, naturalist and a geneticist, with a deep passion for nature and biodiversity. His primary focus is on vertebrates, particularly birds. As a geneticist, he is driven by a curiosity to explore variation at and below the species level, with a strong emphasis on genetic diversity. By combining a scientific background in genetics with hands-on research in the field, he contributes to a richer understanding of biodiversity and natural ecosystems.

We work alongside researchers from partner institutions.

Research Partners