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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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PROFILE: My journey to Professional Registration - Pierre van der Spuy

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Bridges Engineer Dr Pierre van der Spuy tells us about MY JOURNEY TO PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION.

Please give us a brief summary about your career 

I graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2008 with a BEng in Civil Engineering. I started my career at Zutari (then Africon) in 2009 within the Buildings team where I worked on a beach resort in Abu Dhabi and an office building in Ghana, both of which experience strong seismicity. In the same year I commenced with my postgraduate studies at the University of Cape Town (MEng) under supervision of Professor Pilate Moyo. 

In 2010 I moved to Aurecon Cape Town’s Bridges team where I immediately received exposure on a large project, being the Greytown Interchange project in Pietermaritzburg. I participated in the design of an incrementally launched bridge! I have been fortunate to have outstanding mentors. Hennie Niehaus, Theo Philotheo and Rossouw Conradie are amongst those that stand out.

I graduated from UCT at the end of 2014 and in 2015 I joined BVI for a short period where I worked on some large SANRAL projects and a couple of wind farms. In 2016 I rejoined Aurecon and spent most of the year working on a precast segmental balanced cantilever interchange bridge in Sydney, Australia. I also registered as PrEng in 2016. 

Towards the end of 2016 I decided to put my career on hold for three years to study towards a PhD in Structural Engineering at Stellenbosch University under supervision of Professor Roman Lenner. My thesis was submitted for examination at the end of 2019 and in December we emigrated to join Aurecon in Dubai for a couple of years. COVID had other ideas and in June 2020 I returned to South Africa! I rejoined the Zutari bridges team in Cape Town which is where I still am to this day. I teach at Stellenbosch University as an adjunct faculty member.

What is your current Professional Registration status? 

I am registered with ECSA as a Professional Engineer.


What were your views on Professional Registration before your current status? 

People tend to lose sight of the role that ECSA has to play in our industry. ECSA’s main purpose remains to protect the safety of the public. That means registering individuals that can act responsibility within our field of expertise. It remains important not to tread outside your field of expertise by signing off on work that you are not experienced in. 


How has your career been impacted by your Professional Registration journey?

The day you register doesn’t change you as an engineer. It does mean that you become accountable for all aspects of the designs you perform. You realize this the first time you sign off on something. Within Zutari, your professional registration means moving up a step with the associated benefits and the opportunity to be promoted to the next level. Commercially. it opens the door to tender on, or participate in, projects that require professional registration.


ALSO READ PROFILE: My journey to Professional Registration - Nester Mokhojane


What advice would you a Construction/Built Environment Professionals who plan to  embark on this journey? 

Colleagues often ask me whether they have enough experience and the right experience to apply for professional registration. My answer is always the same. If you can write all the TERS and the project report without constantly scraping for experience here and there, then you should be good.


If your professional registration application flows like a career story and you have shown that you can tackle and solve complex engineering problems, then in my opinion you are ready. A mistake made over and again is to rush applications. I registered after seven years, but by then everything fell into place easily.


You are also invited to share your journey to professional registration by submitting  your details here


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