Dr Louise Gammage

Dr Louise Gammage is an environmental geographer specialising in marine sustainability. She works in inter-and transdisciplinary contexts and is interested in developing transformative methodologies and tools to promote system-based governance. She is presently a marine sustainability research fellow at the University of Cape Town with the Marine and Antarctic Research centre for Innovation and Sustainability (MARIS).

Her current research focuses on marine social-ecological systems (SESs) and fisheries in South Africa, working collaboratively with a variety of research partners in South Africa, the EU and USA. Louise’s research interests include exploring innovative methodologies to address challenges related to scale and decision-making in complex adaptive systems; understanding drivers of change in SESs to improve present and future decision-making; and exploring ways for local stakeholders (such as fishers) to build capacity to enhance well-being, while informing governance and policy at the larger decision-making scales. She is experienced in semi-quantitative modelling techniques (such as cognitive causal mapping and Bayesian network modelling), qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, designing and leading interviews and surveys (including fieldwork), group facilitation and scenario planning.

Publications

ORCID: 0000-0002-3751-0958  ; Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en

2026

Gammage, L.C., Jarre, A., 2026. Using social vulnerability indicators to capture local nuance and ensure Atlantic comparability: insights from South Africa's Western Cape. ICES Journal of Marine Science https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaf236 

Jarre, A., Murray, G., Neis, B., Perry, R.I., Duggan, G.L., Foley, P., Gammage, L.C., Haggan, N., Hall, P., Hill, C., Paterson, B., Shannon, L.J., Sumaila, U.R., Tam, J.C., Taylor, M., Turner, N.J., Ward, C.D., 2026. Rosemary E. Ommer's multi-generational contributions to marine social-ecological systems thinking. ICES Journal of Marine Science https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsag126

Rodríguez-Fonseca, B., Rodrigues, R.R., Fransner, F., Polo, I., Martín-Rey, M., Losada, T., López Parages, J., Gómara, I., Shannon, L., Exarchou, E., Keenlyside, N., Rivas, D., Calvo-Miguélez, E., Montoya-Carramolin, L., Ramirez, F., Artana, C., Angelini, R., Sánchez Gómez, E., Moine, M.P., Imbol Koungue, R.A., Diou, K., Araujo, M., Bertrand, A., Brandt, P., Cai, W., Coll, M., Gammage, L., Koseki, S., Lübbecke, J., McDonagh, E., McPhaden, M.J., Martín-Gómez, V., Mechoso, C.R., Mohino, E., Muelbert, J., Ndoye, S., Nnamchi, H., Ramanantsoa, J., Rouault, M., Sánchez-Garrido, J.C., Schwamborn, R., Sloterdijk, H., Steenbeek, J., Fock, H., Ostrowski, M., Gaye, A.T., 2026. ENSO impact on marine ecosystems and fisheries in the tropical and South Atlantic. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00742-2

2025

Sarmento, H., Huber, P., Santos-Júnior, C.D., Abreu, A., Makhalanyane, T.P., Karenyi, N., Rocke, E. and AtlantECO project partners (incl. Gammage, L.), 2025. The southern gap in ocean microbiome science. Ocean Microbiology 1: 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s44375-025-00006-w

2024

Gammage, L.C., Longo, C.S., van Putten, I., Bucio, E., Gordon, A.K., Lejbowicz, A., Vergara-Solana, F., 2024. The power of collaboration in multi-fishery improvement initiatives. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae038

2023

Shackleton, S., Taylor, A., Gammage, L., Gillson, L., Sitas, N., Methner, N., Barmand, S., Thorn, J., McClure, A., Cobban, L., Jarre, A., 2023. Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed? Ecosystems and People 19(1): 2164798.

2022

Satterthwaite, E.V., Komyakova, V., Erazo, N.G., Gammage, L., Juma, G.A., Kelly, R., Kleinman, D., Lobelle, D., James, R.S., Zanuri, M.B.D., 2022. Five actionable pillars to engage the next generation of leaders in the co-design of transformative ocean solutions. PLOS Biology 20(10): e3001832. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001832

Schadeberg, A., Ford, E., Wieczorek, A., Gammage, L.C., López-Acosta, M., Buselic, I., Dermastia, T.T., Fontela, M., Galobart, C., Llopis Monferrer, N., Lubosny, M., Piarulli, S., Suaria, G., 2022. Productivity, pressure and new perspectives: impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career marine researchers. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac167

2021

Gammage, L., Jarre, A., Mather, C., 2021. Failing to plan is planning to fail: lessons learned from a small-scale scenario planning process with marginalised fishers from South Africa's southern Cape. Ecology and Society 26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12886-260432

Gammage, L.C., Jarre, A., 2021. Scenario-based approaches to change management in fisheries can address challenges with scale and support the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. Frontiers in Marine Science 8: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.600150

2020

Gammage, L., Jarre, A., 2020. Using structured decision-making tools with marginalised fishers to promote system-based fisheries management approaches. Frontiers in Marine Science 7: 477. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00477

2019

Gammage, L.C., Jarre, A., Mather, C., 2019. A changing fishery system: perspectives from crew in the southern Cape's handline fishery. South African Geographical Journal 101: 210–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2019.1581656

Martins, I.M.M., Gammage, L.C., Jarre, A., Gasalla, M.A., 2019. Different but similar? Exploring vulnerability to climate change in Brazilian and South African small-scale fishing communities. Human Ecology 47: 515–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-019-00098-4