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View from the Field: Chipo Mungenge

Tapping local knowledge
to preserve biodiversity

Mungenge’s project explored the connections between groundwater- She says that “to solve water resources management problems,
dependent ecosystems (GDEs) and biodiversity in the Khakea/Bray we have to have diverse perspectives. When decision making
Transboundary Aquifer, which spans South Africa and Botswana. is dominated by one gender, we are missing out on insights,
experiences, and solutions from the other.”
“GDEs are highly dynamic, sensitive ecosystems but are relatively
understudied in South Africa,” she says. “We found them to support
Working toward a world that
surprisingly high levels of biodiversity, including several endemic
species.” She also discovered a fairy shrimp that had never been values biodiversity conservation
recorded on the South African side of the aquifer and explored the

key drivers influencing the dynamics of species communities in Today, Mungenge is a postdoctoral research fellow at both the South
the ecosystems. African National Biodiversity Institute and the University of Capetown’s
African Climate and Development Initiative. She is evaluating whether

She also realized the significant role that communities can play in ecosystem-based approaches were effective for climate change

biodiversity conservation. “It is important to integrate both scientific adaptation within South African freshwater ecosystems.
and local knowledge when we work with groundwater management,
which must be adaptive, especially with so much climate variability, Her current research sits at the intersection of science and
land-use changes, and social pressures,” she says. policy, aiming to understand not only how freshwater ecosystems
respond to climate pressures, but also how nature-based
Mungenge and her colleagues were puzzled when they saw traps in solutions can support both ecological resilience and human
pans in temporary wetlands, which are essentially ponds that lose well-being. For Mungenge, this work is about informing real-world
their water in the dry season. It was only by meeting with community decisions that help preserve freshwater ecosystems before they
members that she learned they were hunting bullfrogs for food. reach critical tipping points.

“We talked with the community about the importance of conserving “My hope is that we become more proactive in valuing and
biodiversity, particularly by reducing the overharvesting of protecting our freshwater ecosystems, acting before they reach a
bullfrogs—a traditional delicacy and valued food source. We point of irreversible degradation,” she says. “Conservation should
encouraged them to consider alternative protein options, such as be a commitment we make now, for the sake of future generations
livestock and poultry, to ease pressure on wild populations. They and the biodiversity that depends on these vital systems.”
were open to exploring more sustainable practices,” she explains.

Resisting gender stereotypes in the field

Community members were not the only ones who needed to
be educated.

During her research, Mungenge felt that male colleagues
discounted her technical expertise because of her gender. “You
are sidelined as a woman from certain tasks in the field that are

physically demanding when you are actually able to do them.”
For example, when it came to collecting sediment samples from
deeper pans in the temporary wetlands, she was told that a man
would have to accompany her on the physically demanding task.

She was undeterred. “I would say that I could do it,” she recalls.
Embodying her middle name, Perseverance, “I would just put my
gumboots on and go into the water and get my samples.”

And Mungenge says that is another reason why her PhD is a
personal triumph “and a stride towards gender equality in a male-

dominated scientific field. It symbolizes the dismantling of barriers

and showcases the strength and potential of women in academia.
My presence in this field underscores the fact that gender does

not dictate research excellence.”

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