Communities at the heart of Environmental Science’s 25-year journey

Communities at the heart of Environmental Science’s 25-year journey By Ndimphiwe Mpongoma When Rhodes University’s Department of Environmental Science celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala dinner at Steve Biko on 22 September, the evening honoured more than the academics, students and research produced over the past quarter-century. It also recognised community members such as Xoliswa Mjuleni from Machubeni, a rural community near Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape’s Chris Hani District, whose residents have worked alongside Rhodes University researchers for years, contributing local knowledge to environmental research. Speaking in isiXhosa, Mjuleni reflected on a relationship with Rhodes University researchers dating back to around 2016. Over the years, different researchers visited Emachubeni to investigate environmental issues, with community members contributing their knowledge and experiences. But the relationship developed into something beyond researchers collecting information and leaving. Mjuleni spoke proudly about the community’s role in helping students and researchers complete their work, despite some residents not having had the same opportunities for formal education. “Kwezi zandla zethu, kuphume izifundiswa singafundanga thina sinjalo,” (“From our hands, educated people have emerged, even though we ourselves did not have that education,”) she said, and described how researchers who repeatedly worked with the community eventually became like their own children. Her reflections captured a central theme of the anniversary celebrations: environmental knowledge is not produced by universities alone. This understanding is central to the work of Dr Nasiphi Ntshanga, a postdoctoral fellow under the SARChI Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies on Natural Resource Use and Sustainable Livelihoods. Ntshanga’s research examines the cultural significance of wild-harvested products and their contribution to social-ecological resilience. She explained that her research followed a participatory approach, recognising communities as contributors to knowledge rather than simply research subjects. “The community that I was working with when I was collecting this knowledge and understanding this concept, they are not just subjects to the research, but they are participants who are contributing to the knowledge,” she said. Ntshanga said communities provided valuable insights into environmental changes, traditional practices and how people have interacted with their environments over generations. “Our communities are important partners in the knowledge that we produce in the department,” she said. She described them as co-producers of local, traditional and Indigenous ecological knowledge, reflecting the department’s emphasis on respectful community partnerships. This approach was reflected at the gala, where community partners were formally recognised for their contributions. Dr Jessica Cockburn told guests that the seven community representatives present reflected the contributions of many more people involved in the department’s research. She emphasised the importance of maintaining long-term relationships rather than treating communities as temporary research sites. Community partners from areas including Willowvale and the Kat River received tokens of appreciation, some presented by researchers and students who had worked directly with them. The department’s approach recognised that communities whose families have lived on particular landscapes for generations often possess environmental knowledge that visiting researchers do not. Celebrating a quarter-century Head of Department Associate Professor Sheunesu Ruwanza welcomed academics, students, staff, research associates and community partners to what he described as a “joyous milestone”. Ruwanza reflected on the department’s beginnings as a small group of academics with limited resources, before developing into an institution recognised for its teaching, research and community engagement. “Our research on social-ecological systems addresses real-world problems in environmental science,” he said. He acknowledged the contributions of staff, students and community partners, adding that the department’s graduates were making contributions nationally and internationally. “As we cut our silver jubilee cake and cheer for our past, we also need to look ahead,” Ruwanza said, encouraging the department to maintain its vision, standards and relationships. Figures presented during the gala showed that approximately 4,200 students had registered for Environmental Science across different levels since the department’s establishment in 2001. Its research has addressed biodiversity, livelihoods, sustainability, ecosystem management, urban greening, land degradation and community-based natural resource management, with a strong Eastern Cape and African focus.