Prof. Anusha Rajkaran received her training from the Nelson Mandela University (formerly known as University of Port Elizabeth). She has been trained in the field of Botany and Estuarine Ecology. Her Honours, Masters and PhD focussed on different aspects of mangrove forest ecology; the methods, impacts and patterns of resource utilization of mangrove species in the Eastern Cape region gave rise to her first scientific papers. The PhD thesis entitled: A status assessment of mangrove forests in South Africa and the utilization of mangroves at Mngazana Estuary produced four scientific papers and a book chapter and increased her exposure to scientists in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), Australia and Belgium. After the completion of her PhD, Anusha was appointed to the Department of Botany at Rhodes University from October 2011 to November 2015. In December of 2015, Anusha joined the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of the Western Cape. Her research has expanded to the functioning of other estuarine habitats such as salt marsh and seagrass, provision of ecosystem services, establishing baseline estimates of microplastic and chemical pollutants and establishing indicators of health of habitats in South Africa. Her research covers most parts of the South African coastline and the research team includes honours, MSc and PhD students as well as PostDoctoral fellows.