Ecotoxicology is the multidisciplinary field that studies the harmful effects of chemical, physical and biological stressors on living organisms, populations, communities and ecosystems. Integrating the disciplines of toxicology and ecology, ecotoxicology seeks to understand and predict how environmental contaminants affect ecosystem structure and function across all levels of biological organisation, from molecules and cells to whole ecosystems.
The WRG has established one of Africa's leading aquatic ecotoxicology research programmes, specialising in the assessment of contaminants in freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems. Particular expertise has been developed in the ecotoxicology of nanomaterials through the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation's Nano-Health, Safety and Environment (Nano-HSE) Risk Research Platform, where the WRG leads the Environmental Node. The National Aquatic Bioassay Facility (NABF), housed within the WRG, is regarded as the second-largest zebrafish bioassay facility in the Southern Hemisphere and provides internationally recognised infrastructure for aquatic toxicology research, environmental risk assessment and postgraduate training.
By combining ecotoxicology with ecology, chemistry and environmental risk assessment, the WRG provides the scientific evidence required to protect aquatic ecosystems and support evidence-based environmental decision-making.
Ecotoxicological research undertaken within the WRG includes:
- Acute toxicity testing using a range of aquatic test organisms.
- Chronic toxicity assessments, including reproduction, development, swimming performance, respiration and behavioural endpoints.
- Analysis of inorganic and organic contaminants in water, sediment and biota.
- Bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of metals and organic contaminants.
- Biomarker analyses (e.g. oxidative stress, metallothioneins, cellular energy allocation and physiological responses).
- Ecological risk assessments for emerging and legacy contaminants.
- Fish health and ecosystem surveys, including fish and macroinvertebrate community assessments.
- Advanced imaging techniques (TEM, SEM and CytoViva microscopy).
Current Project(s)
Title: Implementation of safe by design (SbD) and sustainable and safe by design (SSbD) in advanced materials: graphene in South Africa.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 16 million from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028
Collaborators: Prof. Mary Gulumian (North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Charlene Andraos (NIOH and North-West University, South Africa); Prof. Suranie Horn (North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Tarryn Botha (University of Johannesburg); Prof. Richard Harris (University of the Free State); Dr. Rembo Lehutso (CSIR)
Title: Development of tools for the sustainable water quality management in subtropical catchments subjected to multiple stressors.
Grant: Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR), Belgium
Project leaders: Prof. L Brendonck (KU Leuven, Belgium - Flemish promoter); Prof V Wepener (North-West University, South Africa - South African promoter)
Amount awarded: €299,709 from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2027
Collaborators: Prof. NJ Smit (North-West University, South Africa); Prof L Bervoets (University of Antwerp, Belgium); Prof. G. O'Brien (University of Mpumalanga); Prof B. Verbist (KU Leuven)
Title: ACCORDs: Green deal inspired correlative imaging-based characterization for safety profiling of 2D materials.
Grant: EU Horizon Europe
Project leader: Prof. Damjana (NWU Extraordinary Professor - University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Slovenia)
Amount awarded: €250,000 from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2026
Collaborators: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa); Prof. Mary Gulumian (North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Charlene Andraos (NIOH and North-West University, South Africa); Mr. Kailen Boodhia (North-West University, South Africa)
Completed Projects
Title: Implementation of sustainable and safe by design (SSbD) in nanotechnology in South Africa within the Nanosafety Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Platform.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 5 million from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
Collaborators: Prof. Mary Gulumian (North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Charlene Andraos (NIOH and North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Tarryn Botha (University of Johannesburg); Prof. Richard Harris (University of the Free State); Dr. Rembo Lehutso (CSIR)
Title: Implementation of sustainable and safe by design (SSbD) in nanotechnology in South Africa within the Nanosafety Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Platform.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 7 million from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
Collaborators: Prof. Mary Gulumian (North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Charlene Andraos (NIOH and North-West University, South Africa); Dr. Tarryn Botha (University of Johannesburg); Prof. Richard Harris (University of the Free State); Dr. Rembo Lehutso (CSIR)
Title: Field and mechanism-based toxicity research on pesticides in Africa
Grant: Africa-Japan Collaborative Research (AJ CORE) funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa and the Japan Science and Technology Agency of Japan
Project leader: Prof V Wepener (SA Lead), (North-West University, South Africa) Prof. M. Ishizuka (Japan Lead) (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Amount awarded: US $174 026 for January 2021 to December 2023
Collaborators: Prof. NJ Smit (Co-PI), (North-West University, South Africa); Prof. Y Ikenaka (Hokkaido University, Japan); Prof. W Luus-Powell (UL Lead) (University of Limpopo, South Africa); Dr S Nakayama (Hokkaido University, Japan); Prof. FP Retief (North-West University, South Africa)
Title: Developing Adverse Outcome Pathway’s to identify read-across in vivo model data for the purposes of computational ecological risk assessment in Nanotechnology.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 5.6 million from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2023
Collaborators: Dr. Tarryn Botha (North-West University, South Africa)
Title: Novel approaches to assess toxicity of platinum-group elements in aquatic environments.
Grant: German/South Africa Research Collaboration Programme funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa in partnership with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Project leader: Prof. NJ Smit, (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 1 600 000 for January 2017 to December 2021
Collaborators: Prof. B Sures (Co-PI) (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany), Prof V Wepener (Co-PI), (North-West University, South Africa); Dr S. Zimmermann; (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany); Dr CW Malherbe (North-West University, South Africa)
Title: Towards predictive modelling of metal-based nanomaterial bioaccumulation and biodistribution using a multi-species approach (sub-programme as part of the Nanosafety Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Research Platform.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 1.2 million from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020
Title: Aquatic ecotoxicology of nanogold Phase II (sub-programme as part of the Nanosafety Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Research Platform.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 1.58 million from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2018
Title: Charcterization of nano-object exposure in soils and sediments and the organisms that dwell in them (sub-programme as part of the Nanosafety Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Research Platform.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 1.37 million from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2018
Title: Ecological and human risk assessment of vector control pesticides.
Grant: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
Project leaders: Prof. Y Ikenaka (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Amount awarded: JPY 16 250 000 for April 2014 to March 2017
Collaborators: Prof. NJ Smit (North-West University, South Africa); Prof. V. Wepener, (North-West University, South Africa); Prof. M. Ishizuka, (Hokkaido University, Japan); Dr S Nakayama (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Title: Aquatic ecotoxicology of nanogold Phase I (sub-programme as part of the Nanosafety Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Research Platform.
Grant: Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
Project leader: Prof. Victor Wepener (North-West University, South Africa)
Amount awarded: R 1.48 million from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2015
Last updated: June 2026
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