For Black History Month 2023, the British Ecological Society (BES) journals are celebrating the work of Black ecologists from around the world and sharing their stories. In this blog, Dr Nomthandazo Samantha Manqele shares their story and journey in academia.
Name: Dr Nomthandazo Samantha Manqele
Affiliation: Social Ecologist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Ecology Interests: Sustainable Rural livelihoods; Natural Resource Use; Ecosystem Services
Your story – How did you get into ecology?
When I was in grade seven at primary school, we visited a local nature reserve a couple of times, as part of our Natural Sciences curriculum. Each time we visited, the environmental educator would take us on a tour across the reserve, teaching us about different natural elements that we came across such as birds, trees, rivers, snakes and bees. Everything was interesting to learn about, but what fascinated me the most was the labelling of trees in the reserve. Each label included the common name of the tree in English, and it’s isiZulu (local language) and Latin names. I thought this concept brilliantly communicated the importance of each tree. My interest in trees grew from here, and I figured that I wanted to work with them, despite not knowing how this was going to happen. Later, I came across the term Botanist and told myself that this is what I would become. When I went to high school, I chose subjects based on my interest in trees and nature in general. I applied the same strategy when I went to university, but this was not as straight forward as it sounds, because I had no guidance and the majority of my peers wanted to become teachers, social workers, medical doctors and lawyers etc. So when the time came to choose a course to enroll in, I searched, not knowing what to pick, course names were lengthy and confusing, and then I saw the word environment in BSc Geography and Environmental Management, and just went for it as my first choice. I got accepted and here we are.
What are you researching/working on right now?
I have just been appointed as a Social Ecologist. I am involved in several projects in protected areas of KwaZulu-Natal. One of these projects looks at the management of sacred/spiritual sites within our protected area network, and I am also doing research on medicinal plants. My current projects all have a link to the work that I did for my PhD, where I looked at the use of vulture species in belief-based practices and traditional medicine.
What do you enjoy most about your work or ecology in general?
I appreciate hearing stories from local people who interact with nature on a daily basis, including herders, hunters, herbalists, inter alia. It is interesting to learn about the multifaceted relationship between humans and nature. There are many points of convergence, and all have different implications both for the conservation of nature and human development.
Are there any aspects of your academic career / personal journey as a Black ecologist that you wish to share?
Not really, but as black people there is a psychological distance between us and nature. If you develop an interest in studying or having a career in nature, growth for you may take time because you have to walk the distance first (e.g. deal with your fear of snakes and slimy organisms, because you did not grow up around these things, or you were taught to fear them etc.). I think we need to start eliminating this distance wherever possible.
Are there any ongoing issues in the ecological / academic landscape that you would like to highlight or have experienced?
I wish that we would stop measuring our impact based on the number of researchers who see and cite our work. Our purpose can be more than that. We can implement change on the ground – spend less time and resources on our computers and in meetings – and instead get out there and start engaging with real life problems that our communities are hoping we could solve for and with them.
If you could see one change in academia to positively impact Black ecologists, what would that be?
The provision of resources to allow researchers to go back to their communities and implement change, or at least support the implementation of change. It discourages me to go out to conduct research, discover serious issues, write recommendations and not see them being implemented or at least considered.
Shout out your peers! Any black ecologists or groups who are doing work you admire?
Nonhle Mngadi inspires me in so many ways. She is a Social Ecologist, and outside of work she supports local businesses and has a beautiful program where she gathers children and takes them out to have fun in natural spaces.
