Dr Karen Kostchy as PMERL coordinator she helps to enable participatory monitoring, evaluation, reflection and learning (PMERL) for the Tsitsa Project, by synthesising monitoring and reflection data, providing opportunities for reflection and sense-making, and keeping an eye on the goals of learning and strategic adaptive management. PMERL helps to evaluate whether the project is operating according to its core principles and achieving what it is intended to achieve. She loves working with her awesome team members in the Knowledge and Learning CoP. One of the hardest aspects of her job is knowing what to notice.

Dr Matthew Weaver is a postdoctoral fellow and Capacity Development (CapDev) Coordinator for the Tsitsa Project (TP). His work passion lies in engaged research that promotes social learning and participatory governance in natural resource management contexts. His previous work and research experience focused on enabling social and transformative learning in relation to participatory water governance. As a CapDev coordinator he supports, develops and run capacity development initiatives for the Titsa Project. Much of this work is in collaboration with other Communities of Practice (CoPs). For example, together with the Governance, Fire And Grazing, Systems CoP and LIMA they developed and ran a Capacity Development training course for community-based monitors employed by the Tsitsa Project. The next exciting endeavor is to run a National-level online course to build social learning facilitation capacity of TP members and other South African stakeholders interested in learning processes.

Ms Nosiseko Mtati was born in Willowvale (Wild Coast), Eastern Cape. She grew up in a small village called Ntsimbakazi A/A. She joined the Tsitsa Project in 2016 as a field technician, managing citizen technicians. In the years 2017 and 2018 she was a community liaison and communications officer. In 2019 she took up the job of a catchment coordinator for the Project. As a catchment coordinator she engages with stakeholders in the Tsitsa river catchment. She enjoys strengthening, maintaining and initiating relationships and linkages with stakeholders. She is passionate about working with people and up skilling those she works with, especially those from rural spaces. The catchment coordinator job has its own challenges, for example, gender and age still play a big role in how people respond to you.

Margaret Wolff began working with Professor Tally Palmer at the Institute for Water Research in 2013 after spending six years as a project manager at the Grahamstown Foundation. Initially working with Tally to manage various projects, Margaret’s interest in Tally’s work with Catchment Management Agencies and forums resulted in her registration as a part time Masters student in 2015. Her study site was the Tsitsa River catchment. Her research focused on enabling participation in water resource management through co- learning; encouraging a learning centre approach to the establishment of forums; and highlighted the need to understand the complex social-ecological systems in which research is undertaken. This community engaged research enables researchers and participants to work closely at co-creating solutions to intractable natural resource related challenges. She strongly believes that by listening and understanding a multitude of ways of knowing, all sectors of society are able to contribute to sustainable and just social and environment management. Margaret completed her Masters degree and went ‘back’ to project management by taking on the role of project co-ordinator for the Rhodes Restoration Research Group which includes the Tsitsa and Thicket Projects.