Seth Eiseb worked as Curator of Mammals at the National Museum of Namibia for over a period of 15 years. He realized during this time the crucial function of natural history collections in supporting traditional taxonomy, which is the key to understanding biodiversity. He has also undertaken field collecting trips to Angola, Botswana, and South Africa where he collaborated with various museum curators. Seth joined the University of Namibia as a lecturer in 2012 and became a Senior Lecturer in 2017. He has extensive experience in lecturing, research, student supervision and mentorship. He has supervised over twenty postgraduate and over twenty undergraduate students in the fields of small mammal systematics, wildlife ecology, biodiversity conservation and rodent pest management.
The entire known range of the rodent species Mastomys shortridgei (Rodentia: Muridae) is included within the Okavango Basin, a region comprising the Okavango Delta in Botswana and several rivers draining into it from the central Angolan highlands. Considerable degradation of wetlands at the type locality of Mastomys shortridgei and throughout its known distribution range was noted which could be attributed to over-gazing and other human impacts. Furthermore, we established that the population density of M. shortridgei in the study area was very low which could qualify the species as vulnerable under the IUCN criteria. This also increases the unique value of the Okavango delta as a unique reservoir of biodiversity and the need to continue its preservation.
