Pantaleo Munishi

Prof. P.K.T. Munishi obtained a Diploma in Forestry from the Forestry Training Institute, Arusha, Tanzania in 1981, and a B.Sc. (Forestry) degree from Sokoine University of Agriculture in 1990. He was awarded Master of Environmental Management (Concentration in Natural Resource Ecology and Management) and Master of Forestry degrees (Concentration in Forest Resources Assessment and Water Resource Management) by the Duke University School of the Environment, North Carolina, USA in 1994. His Masters research was on ‘Two Decade Variations in the Hydrology of Two River Basins in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania.’ He obtained a Ph.D. degree in Natural Resources Management majoring in Ecosystem Assessment, Eco-hydrology, Climate Change and Forestry from the College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, USA in 2001. His Ph.D. research project was on   “The Eastern Arc Mountain Forests of Tanzania: Their Role in Biodiversity, Water Resource Conservation and Net Contribution to Atmospheric Carbon”. He worked as a District Forest Officer, Mbeya Regional Directorate after completing his Diploma with the responsibility of managing different types of forests and forest ecosystems, environmental extension and education, planning and managing various rural forestry and environmental conservation projects (1981-1989).

Currently a Professor in Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Climate Change, he undertakes teaching, research and outreach in diverse areas of natural resources and environmental management in the Department of Ecosystems and Conservation, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania. Professor Munishi has worked intensively in aspects of ecosystem services – climate change – natural resources – livelihoods and poverty linkages to understand how climate change will likely influence this linkage. Prof Munishi also undertakes research, outreach programs and consultancy in the above fields of specialisation.

He has  received more than 10 research grants, three study fellowships, and has been involved in more than 12 research projects which have focused on: ecosystem services, natural resource ecology and management, climate change, forest resource assessment, climate change and livelihoods/coping and adaptation strategies, biodiversity measuring and monitoring, human-biodiversity interactions, ecological monitoring and impact assessment, poverty implications of conservation, small holder forestry and poverty, participatory water resource and wetlands management, eco-hydrology and environmental forestry, strategic and social impact assessment, integrated management planning for river basins, climate change and carbon assessments, measuring, verification and monitoring ecosystem carbon stocks.  Prof Munishi has published more than 90 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and 31 in conference proceedings. His research gives a special emphasis on mentoring and building capacity among young scientists in various areas of specialisation. Through this process eight PhD students and 12 MSc students have been trained by funding from different projects and Prof Munishi has mentored more than 20 young professionals in different aspects of research especially ecological, socio-ecological and biodiversity field data collection/capture, data compilation, analysis and publishing.