About Chavoux Luyt

Dr Chavoux Luyt, the founder of New Development Technologies, has a BSc degree in Computer Science and Zoology and a MSc and PhD in Conservation Ecology (Nature Conservation). For his masters he used geographic computer models to predict habitat preferences of the Bontebok. He did his PhD on human-wildlife conflict on Namibian farmlands. His experience includes[1]:

• Geographic Information Systems (Used in MSc research project).
• Installation and use of different Linux distributions.
• Programming custom Production Management System, running on Windows and Linux using Delphi, Lazarus and PostgreSQL database.
• Embedded programming on a number of different hardware devices (RFID readers, IP cameras etc.) using A51 assembler, C, C++, TINI Java, and embedded linux shell scripts.
• C, C++ and Delphi programming on Windows Platform.
• Web programming using C# ASP.NET and MS SQL Server.
• Using Probabilistic Graphical Models to design an expert system to choose the best method(s) to mitigate livestock depredation.
• Livestock Farming.
• Human-wildlife conflict involving predators (including tracking predators, identification of predator kills, Livestock Guarding Dogs).
• Rangeland mananagement and carrying capacity.

"Before finishing my MSc and working in IT, I was a farm manager on a cattle farm for 4 years, building the farm from running at a loss to the point where we became profitable. Using computers as a tool for livestock breeding and general farm management taught me how to find practical and affordable software solutions to different problems.

Working in IT, I had some bad experiences with being forced to use tools that were not a good fit for the problem at hand. This lead me to a firm belief in using the right tool for the job and actively learning more programming languages. Many software companies use only a single language or programming tool. This can lead to a situation where something that should be a small job (if the right tool were used) becomes a major enterprize, which often translates into late delivery of a buggy product.

Since the end of 2012 I worked as assistant researcher with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia and started my PhD on predator ecology and human-wildlife conflict in Namibia with the University of Stellenbosch. This involved research of Human-Wildlife Conflict and predator behaviour on Namibian farms. One of the main expected outputs of this research project was the design for a Decision Support System (DSS) to help farmers and managers decide on the "best" method for preventing livestock losses in their specific circumstances.

I started working for the Cape Leopard Trust in 2019 as a community outreach officer (conservation officer focused on human-wildlife conflict). During this period I learned the importance of personal contact and building trust with farmers. It showed me that an expert Decision Support System will possibly not be enough to solve farmer-predator conflict in South Africa, because of the lack of personal relationships.

My personal interests include all aspects of physical and computer security, Open Source Software, Embedded and Computer programming, Ecology, Animal behaviour, Mimetics (using nature to help solve engineering problems), the classical Guitar, Biblical Archeology, Mountain climbing and hiking, Self defence systems and seeking a personal relationship with God in everyday life. My relationship with God gives me a reason to live and is the most important motivation to take good care of His wonderful creation."

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