Osiman Mabhachi

Profession: 

Environmental Scientist with professional experience in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management and community development in rural and urban socio-ecological systems in East and Southern Africa. 

Areas of Specialization:

Social and Ecological Research, Design of Context-Responsive Programme Assessment Frameworks, Programme Design, Programme Reviews, Monitoring and Evaluation, Socio-Technical Assessment of Technologies, Documentation, Institutional Analysis, Social Process Analysis, Deductive Project Impact Evaluation and Scientific Reporting.

Professional experience: 

• Currently working for VSO as a Programme Development and Quality Lead, providing support in the design of development projects in the areas of Education, Health and Livelihoods. Involved in research aimed at developing frameworks for attaining development outcomes, integrating resilience, disaster management, social inclusion and social accountability. 

• Worked for the International Crane Foundation as a Community Specialist. Led country teams in the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental and development projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This involved research and extension activities in Livelihoods Project Design, Natural Resource Management and Governance, Water and Sanitation, Institutional Analysis, Biodiversity Assessment, Conservation Agriculture, Gender and Social Inclusion, Community Resilience and Sustainability Analysis. 

• Conducted socioecological research focusing on the socio-economic and institutional dimensions of wildlife conservation in African rural landscapes as a Nuffic PhD Scholar. 

• Worked as a Conservation Manager at BirdLife Zimbabwe. Promoted biodiversity conservation in rural areas, around National Parks and in urban landscapes. Introduced species and habitat monitoring systems as part of long-term ecological research, contributing to national biodiversity tracking systems. Pilot-tested community—based conservation approaches in areas of biodiversity importance. 

• Was employed by the Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE) as a Regional Engineering Officer responsible for planning and facilitating the implementation of Community Water Security programs and other agricultural projects in Zimbabwe. Designed community water systems aimed at ensuring sustained and equitable water supply for rural communities in semi-arid areas of Chiredzi District.

• Had a four-year tenure as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute of Environmental Studies (University of Zimbabwe). Was involved in applied research projects aimed at promoting and evaluating soil and water conservation techniques and watershed management approaches. Developed technology dissemination materials (posters, manuals, brochures) on conservation farming. 

Personal Accreditations,  Awards, Scholarships and Research Grants:

• Accredited Facilitator, Project Management for Development Practitioners (PMD Pro) (2019)
• Firebird Foundation Grant for Environmental Anthropological Research in the Driefontein Grasslands, Zimbabwe (2018)
• British Ecological Society Grant for Research on Socio-Ecological Design of Multifunctional Landscapes (2017)
• Canon Collins Impact Award for Translating MSc Research Project into a Community-Based Conservation Project (2013)
• Nuffic PhD Research Fellowship on Social Dimensions of Crane and Wetland Conservation (2011-2014)
• Rufford Small Grant for Facilitating Biodiversity Stewardship in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa (2010)
• Erik Hosking Trust Grant for Documentation for Conservation Planning in Zimbabwe (2010)
• Canon Collins Scholarship for MSc studies at Wolverhampton University (2007)
• Ramsar Crane Bank Award for Pioneering Community-Based Wetland Conservation (2006)

• Currently working for VSO as a Programme Development and Quality Lead, providing support in the design of development projects in the areas of Education, Health and Livelihoods. Involved in research aimed at developing frameworks for attaining development outcomes, integrating resilience, disaster management, social inclusion and social accountability. 

• Worked for the International Crane Foundation as a Community Specialist. Led country teams in the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental and development projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This involved research and extension activities in Livelihoods Project Design, Natural Resource Management and Governance, Water and Sanitation, Institutional Analysis, Biodiversity Assessment, Conservation Agriculture, Gender and Social Inclusion, Community Resilience and Sustainability Analysis. 

• Conducted socioecological research focusing on the socio-economic and institutional dimensions of wildlife conservation in African rural landscapes as a Nuffic PhD Scholar. 

• Worked as a Conservation Manager at BirdLife Zimbabwe. Promoted biodiversity conservation in rural areas, around National Parks and in urban landscapes. Introduced species and habitat monitoring systems as part of long-term ecological research, contributing to national biodiversity tracking systems. Pilot-tested community—based conservation approaches in areas of biodiversity importance. 

• Was employed by the Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE) as a Regional Engineering Officer responsible for planning and facilitating the implementation of Community Water Security programs and other agricultural projects in Zimbabwe. Designed community water systems aimed at ensuring sustained and equitable water supply for rural communities in semi-arid areas of Chiredzi District.

• Had a four-year tenure as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute of Environmental Studies (University of Zimbabwe). Was involved in applied research projects aimed at promoting and evaluating soil and water conservation techniques and watershed management approaches. Developed technology dissemination materials (posters, manuals, brochures) on conservation farming. 

PhD Environmental Science

MSc Environmental Management

BSc Agricultural Engineering