Prof M D Nicolau

Qualifications

• PhD Geography (University of South Africa, 2013)
• MA Geography (University of Pretoria)
• HED (University of Pretoria)
• BA Hons in Geography (University of Pretoria)
• BA (University of Pretoria)

Fields of academic interests

• Sustainable Community Development
• Cross border migration
• Application of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Global South
• Community driven initiatives to reduce levels of poverty in rural areas of the Global South

Field of Specialisation

• Development Geography
• Population Geography
• Rural Geography

Books

• Pretorius, RW, Nicolau, MD, Immelman, J & Nothling, M de Jager, AE, du Plessis, A. 2015 Virtual Learning Environments for transformation to sustainability: A case study from the “South”. In Integrating Sustainability Thinking in Science and Engineering Curricula, Leal Filho, W., Azeiteiro, U.M., Caeiro, S., Alves, F. (Eds.) pages 335 – 348. World Sustainable Development Series, Springer Verlag. 
• Pretorius, R.W., Hedding, D.W., Nicolau, M.D., Nkooe, E.S. 2015. “Campus greening in open and distance learning: Curriculum initiatives in the Department of Geography, University of South Africa”.  Chapter in Leal Filho, W. (Ed.) Implementing Campus Greening Initiatives: Approaches, Methods and Perspectives. Peter Lang, Frankfurt.
• Nicolau, M.D., Pretorius, R.W. 2016. University of South Africa (UNISA): Geography at Africa’s largest open distance learning institution. In Visser, C.E., Donaldson, S.E., Seethal, C.E.P (eds). The Origin and Growth of Geography as a Discipline at South African Universities. SunMedia. Stellenbosch.
• Melanie D Nicolau, Rudi W Pretorius, Anna E de Jager and Andrea Lombard. 2018. Empowerment for sustainability in a community context: Lifelong learning and story of the Big 5 Community Tourism Forum, Koffiekraal/Brakkuil (South Africa). Chapter in Leal Filho, W. (Ed) Handbook of Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development, Springer Verlag.
• Rudi Pretorius, Melanie Nicolau, 2020. Empowering Communities to Drive Sustainable Development: Reflections on Experiences from Rural South Africa. In Universities and Sustainable Communities: Meeting the Goals of the Agenda 2030, pages 529-545. World Sustainable Development Series, Springer Cham.
• Andrea Lombard, Melanie Nicolau, Sabelo Tshabalala, Anja du Plessis, Richelle Pienaar, Ryan Anderson, and Butho Khanye, 2021. The feasibility of an environmental awareness and responsibility programme in rural South Africa: a case study from the South. Chapter Leal Filho; Pretorius, R; de Sousza, L. (eds) Sustainable Development in Africa: Fostering Sustainability in one of the World’s most Promising Continents, Springer Cham. (pp 591- 612).

Journal articles

• Nicolau, M.D. & Davis, N.C., 2003. Restructuring South African Geography, South African Geographical Journal, 84 (1), 12 - 20.
• Moyo, I., Nicolau, M.D. & Fairhurst, U.J., 2012. Migration theories and Zimbabwean migrant teachers as reflected in a South African Case Study. Scientific Annals of Alexandru Ioan Cuza – University of Iasi – Geography series. Vol 58. No.2, 123-146.
• Hussien, H. W., Mohammed, A.A. & Nicolau, M.D., 2013 Spatio-temporal impact of socio-economic practices on land use/ cover in the Kasso catchment, Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. Scientific Annals of Alexandru Ioan Cuza – University of Iasi – Geography series. Vol 59. No 1, 95 – 120.
• Arega Bazezew, Woldeamlak Bewket & Melanie Nicolau. 2013. Rural households’ livelihood assets, strategies and outcomes in drought-prone areas of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia: Case Study in Lay Gaint District.  African Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol.8 (46), 5716-5727.
• Asmame, B; Woldetsadik, M; Nicolau, MD.  2014 Causes and consequences of rural-urban migration: the case of Woldiya town, North Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research. 35:2.
• Moyo, I., Nicolau, M.D. & Fairhurst, U.J., 2014. Trapped In A Garden Of Greener Pastures: The Experiences of Zimbabwean Teachers In South Africa Scientific Annals of Alexandru Ioan Cuza – University of Iasi – Geography series. Vol 60. No.1, 126-142.
• Nicolau, M.D. & Delport, C. 2015. A Community Asset Mapping Programme for Roots-driven Sustainable Socio-economic Change in Rural South Africa. The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context. Volume 10, Issue 1, 1 -11.
• Hussien, H. W., Mohammed, A.A. & Nicolau, M.D. 2015 Impacts of land use and cover changes and topographic elevation on selected soil quality parameters in the Kasso catchment area in the Bale Mountains of south-eastern Ethiopia. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. 36, 357–375.
• Mesfin Anteneh Wubie, Mohammed Assen and Melanie D. Nicolau. 2016. Patterns, causes and consequences of land use/cover dynamics in the Gumara watershed of Lake Tana basin, Northwestern Ethiopia. Environmental Systems Research. 5:8 (online open access).
• Moyo, I. Nicolau, M.D. & Gumbo, T., 2016. Johannesburg (South Africa) inner city African immigrant traders: pathways from poverty? Urban Forum. Published online February 2016. DOI: 10.1007/s12132-016-9277-9.
• Moyo, I., Nicolau, M.D. 2016. Remittances and development: Zimbabwean migrant teachers in South Africa and their impact on their Zimbabwean families. African Population Studies Vol. 30, No. 2, 2016.
• Moyo, I. Gumbo, T & Nicolau, M.D. 2018. African migrant traders’ experiences in Johannesburg inner city: Towards the Migrant Calculated Risk - Adaptation Framework. South African Review of Sociology, 49 (1), 53-71.
• De Jager, A. & Nicolau, M.D. 2020. Opening the door for wider application of the Tourism Life Cycle Model with application to the Rietvlei Reserve, Tshwane, South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure. 9 (6), 912-929.
• Dzawanda, B. Nicolau, M.D. Matsa, M. & Kusena, W. 2021. Livelihood Outcomes of Informal Cross Border Traders Prior to the Rise of the Virtual Cash Economy in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Journal of Borderlands Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2020.1865187.
• Dzawanda, B. Melanie D. Nicolau, & Matsa, M. 2021. Impact of virtual cash economy on livelihood outcomes of Informal Cross Border Traders in Gweru, Zimbabwe.  Urban Forum 32, 521–539 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-021-09428-6
• Beauty Dzawanda, Mark Matsa, & Melanie Nicolau. 2021.  Poverty on the rise: Impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the informal sector of Gweru, Zimbabwe. International Social Science Journal. 71 (S1), 81-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12285
• Kusena Winmore, Nicolau Melanie, Nojiyeza Innocent Simphiwe. 2021. Implications of the Urban Water and Food Systems Governance Nexus for Houshold Food Security in the City of Gweru, Zimbabwe. Urban Forum. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12132-021-09447-3
• Winmore Kusena, Abel Chemura, Timothy Dube, Melanie Nicolau, Thomas Marambanyika. 2022.  Landuse and landcover change assessment in the Upper Runde sub-catchment, Zimbabwe and possible impacts on reservoir sedimentation Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, pre-press.

Paper presentations

• Geography Conference, Port Elizabeth. July 2007. Dullstroom and Surrounds – More than just a tourist destination (Poster presentation)
• Florida Society of Geographers, Miami, Florida, 25 to 27 January 2008. Plenary addres: Teaching Geography at a distance: How it is approached at the University of South Africa.
• Geography Conference, Pretoria, September 2009. A critical Analysis of the international participation of South African Geographers
• Geography Conference, Pretoria, September 2009. Geographers conferencing for a better world: and analysis of the topics presented at the SSAG conference since 1994.
• CEMS Community Engagement Conference and two Breakfast discussions in Nov 2011. "Adopt Mathopestat", sharing the department of Geography Community Engagement experience.
• Geography Conference, Cape Town. July 2012. Geography education in the 21st century. Geography Educators workshop, facilitator and presenter.
• Carnegie III Conference, Cape Town. September 2012. Community asset mapping as a tool to achieve roots driven change in the rural communities of the Bojanala Region, North West Province, South Africa.
• 10th International Conference On Environmental, Cultural, Social, and Economic Sustainability. 22 to 27 January 2014 Spilt Croatia. Community Asset Mapping Programme for Roots-driven Sustainable Socio- economic Change in Rural South Africa.
• United Nations Stakeholder Forum, 17 June 2014, 2pm, 'United Nations Environment Assembly Made Easy to Understand' http://bit.ly/UNEA-WEBINAR.
• IAG/NZGS 2014 CFP: Revitalising Feminist Geographies, Session 70: Gender, Sex, Space and Place, 30 June – 2 July, Melbourne. A South African rural community: a before-and-after story of women’s empowerment at work. Co-authored presentation.
• 2nd World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities, Manchester, United Kingdom, 3-5 September 2014. Virtual learning environments for transformation to sustainability: A case study from the "South" Co-authored Poster presentation

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

Professional Positions

• Junior/Lecturer: Department of Geography (UNISA): 01 March 1987 – 31 December 2011.List  2
• Senior Lecturer: Department of Geography (UNISA): 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2011.
• Associate Professor (Geography, UNISA): 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2017
• Promoted to full Professor (Geography, Unisa): 1 January 2018.
• Chair of Department of Geography (Unisa): 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2014
• Director: School of Ecological and Human Sustainability (previously Environmental Sciences), College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA): 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020.

Teaching Awards

• Excellence in Teaching Award, Unisa, 2009.
• The University of South Africa, Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Tuition (2012)

Professional Societies and Involvement

• Council Member - Society of South African Geographers, SSAG (2009 – 2013)
• Member of Council Executive, Society of South African Geographers, SSAG – (2011-2013)
• Committee Member - South African National Committee (NRF) for the International Geographical Union (term of office 2007-2010, renewed 2011-2014)
• Member of Florida Society of Geography since 2007 (FSG in USA)
• Member of Society of the Southern Division of American Geographers since 2009 (SSDAG in USA)

Projects

Project leader of the Roots Driven Rural Development Community Engagement Project.  The main purpose of the project is to use applied science to undertake research and community engagement initiatives that will empower community members by sharing technical expertise and knowledge that will allow communities to take responsibility and in this way contribute to relieving their own socio-economic and environmental poverty that is deeply rooted within the rural landscape of South Africa.  The fundamental approach of the project is aligned to a Community Asset Mapping Programme (CAMP) developed in collaboration between the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation and the Department of Geography. CAMP is based on the asset based approach to community development, which opposes the application of the needs approach to development.  The various activities of the project include (but would not be limited to) the transfer, awareness and application of technical assistance and knowledge to address important environmental, social and economic issues within rural communities as highlighted by the MDGs/SDGs and the National Development Plan: 2030.