Introduction to ecosystem-based technologies and practices to address climate change challenges

Presenters from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR, South Africa) discuss the issue of climate change impacts on ecosystems and their associated services, how to assess ecosystem-vulnerability, and the role of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) technologies and practices for sustainable livelihoods.

The webinar provides the necessary background on the above topics and then look at a number of case studies from around the world, followed by a brief discussion on the co-benefits of EbA and barriers to its implementation.

About the presenters

• Michele Walters is a senior researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa and trained as a conservation ecologist at the University of Stellenbosch. After spending four years teaching zoology at Walter Sisulu University she joined the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) where she was involved in a number of projects dealing with medicinal, invasive and succulent plants of southern Africa. Following this she was the Executive Officer for the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) and ran its project office from the CSIR’s Pretoria campus.
• Dr von Maltitz is a systems ecologist and rural development specialist, employed by the CSIR South Africa since 1989. He focuses on global change issues pertinent to the terrestrial environment.  He has worked extensively in the savanna, forest and grassland biomes of southern Africa, focusing particularly on sustainable  natural resource use within the communal areas of the region. Much of this research has been linked to policy formation, especially as it relates to desertification, biodiversity, climate change and bioenergy. He has been the South African coordinator for numerous large multidisciplinary projects considering the sustainability impacts of biofuel development within developing countries, and has worked extensively with the UNCCD regarding desertification.