Dr Kay Weltz

Kay was raised on the tip of southern Africa, where wild blue oceans collide with sheer mountain cliffs, king proteas rule the fynbos and white sharks patrol. Spending her childhood immersed in this outdoor world, Kay’s passion for nature led her to a Bachelors in Biodiversity and Ecology, an Honours in Marine Biology and a Masters in Applied Marine Sciences, studying the ecology of a variety of terrestrial and marine species.

In 2018, Kay completed her PhD in Biology with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic studies in Tasmania, investigating the extinction risk and habitat use of the endangered Maugean skate using genetics and dietary analysis.

For the past 2.5 years, Kay Co-Directed an Outdoor Education Centre in the Victorian High Country and facilitated conservation projects with young people and multiple stakeholders. This furthered her interest in wildlife and land conservation and management.

Kay loves learning about the natural world through scientific exploration and using this information for the purpose of implementing effective management strategies to conserve and protect biodiversity and ecosystems. She is excited to have joined the CEC team in 2024 as a Conservation Project Manager and to familiarise herself with another wild Cape’s fauna and flora.