Dr Natasha Constant is a Research Associate at the Sustainable Places Research Institute at Cardiff University in the U.K. Natasha’s research interests focus on interdisciplinary work at the intersection between the biological and social sciences with a particular focus on the conservation of wildlife and natural resources in terrestrial environments. She was recently awarded a DST-NRF Fellowship from the National Research Foundation in South Africa to undertake pilot work to explore how indigenous and scientific knowledge systems can be integrated to inform the conservation of forest ecosystems and the sustainable development of rural communities in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in South Africa. The outcomes of my pilot work have identified future avenues for developing a larger-scale project in this region to understand how indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) can support more integrated forms of knowledge coproduction and sharing for land-use and ecological restoration planning and how this knowledge may be translated into decision-making. We hope to develop a participatory mapping methodology between indigenous people, researchers, and stakeholders to collect supportive ILK to assess plant and forest ecosystem health and restoration in Venda. The methodology will allow for different knowledge(s) to be acknowledged and captured using participatory mapping exercises and workshops, and for local and indigenous knowledge holders to set collective standards on the qualities of knowledge partnerships established to collaboratively understand and manage these issues. Incorporating ILK into land-use and restoration planning processes may support ecological restoration by allowing more accurate understanding of the application of ILK to enhance the resilience of ecosystems and human wellbeing. Natasha also has experience of community engagement and education related to forest and grassland ecosystems through her previous role as Research Associate in the RCUK funded Drought Risk and You (DRY Project) (www.dryproject.co.uk) at the University of the West of England. Natasha’s PhD research at Durham University explored the social-ecological drivers influencing conflict between leopards and farming communities in the Blouberg Mountain Range of South Africa.