Gladman Thondhlana

Gladman Thondhlana is Professor and Head of the Department of Geography, Geoinformatics & Meteorology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
He previously served as the Head of the Department of Environmental Science and Deputy Dean (Teaching, Learning & Community Engagement) of the Faculty of Science at Rhodes University, South Africa. His research centres broadly on society and conservation and is particularly interested in the human dimensions of biodiversity conservation, including the links between natural resource use and livelihoods, collaborative management of parks, human-wildlife conflict and urban sustainability.

His work is guided by questions aimed at addressing inequality, marginalisation, social injustice, and sustainability in biodiversity conservation endeavours. He is a subject editor and editorial board member for several international journals and serves on international platforms including the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group.

He completed his PhD in environmental science in 2011 at Rhodes University. He was also previously a PhD fellow in the Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Glad’s research and practice has been supported by the National Research Foundation (South Africa), Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa (South Africa), Economic Research Southern Africa (South Africa), International Foundation for Science (Sweden), the Social Science Research Council (USA), the Centre for International Governance Innovation (Canada) and International Science Council (France).

Professor Thondhlana is an avid educator and a Teaching Advancements in Universities (TAU) fellow. He is a recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2016) and Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award (2019).

Recent Publications

Tombe, Y. C., Thondhlana, G. and Ruwanza, S. 2026. Prevalence of Illegal Solid Waste Dumping Across a Differentiated Socio-Economic Gradient in Two Medium-Sized South African Towns. Waste, 4(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/waste4010009

Mutumbi, U., Thondhlana, G. and Ruwanza, S. 2026. Barriers to solar photovoltaic adoption: Findings from household interviews in four towns in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Environments, 13(3), 171. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13030171

Ramarumo, L., Ruwanza, S. and Thondhlana, G. 2026. Human perceptions of the costs and benefits of invasive alien plants in Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, Limpopo Province of South Africa. Discover Environment, 4, 164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-026-00651-1

Tombe, Y.C., Thondhlana, G. and Ruwanza, S. 2025. Illegal solid waste dumping and heterogeneity in Makhanda and Knysna, South Africa. Journal of Material Cycles & Waste Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-025-02468-1

Andersson C. and Thondhlana G. 2025. Plant-based diets among students at Rhodes University, South Africa: prevalence, motivations, and barriers. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 9: 1429770. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1429770.

Ramarumo, L., Ruwanza, S. and Thondhlana, G. 2025. Minimal soil impacts of Caesalpinia decapetala invasion in South Africa’s Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. African Journal of Ecology 63 (2): e70036. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70036

Murata, C. and Thondhlana, G. 2025. Challenges to the use of traditional ecological knowledge in natural resource management in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. In: Dittoh, S., Bon, A., Akkermans, H. (eds) Integrating indigenous and scientific knowledge for sustainable food systems in Africa. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85512-2_9

Sinasson, K.G., Shackleton, C.M; Ruwanza, S. and Thondhlana, G. 2024. Contextual and socio-economic factors affected urban dwellers experiences of and vulnerability to ecosystem disservices. Scientific African, 26: e02404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02404

Thondhlana, G. and Nkosi, B-S. 2024. Campus sustainability at Rhodes University, South Africa: perceptions, awareness level, and potential interventions. Frontiers in Sustainability, 5:1390061. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2024.1390061

Mutumbi, U., Thondhlana, G. and Ruwanza, S. 2024. Adoption of residential rooftop solar PV systems in South Africa: a scoping review of barriers. Heliyon, 10 (10): e30937, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30937