Thursday, May 28th from 13:00—14:00 (GMT+2)
This webinar will take place online
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://maties.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ohcJYo3MSEG7xUClMIb1mw
Join us for a Webinar in our new CST series of Webinars
Building a more resilient future for navigating systemic risks
This series brings together scientists, practitioners and societal actors who use the frameworks of complexity and resilience thinking in their daily work to make sense of the complex dynamics of change and transformative processes. There will be a special focus on how these ideas and practices are used in current times and how local and regional processes and perspectives are being shaped by applying the theoretical concepts and tools for fostering more resilient organisations, communities and decision-making strategies.
This week’s discussion will focus on how the COVID-19 crisis could be used as an opportunity for building more resilient futures. We will explore what we understand by resilience, how systemic resilience can be built, and discuss practical actions being taken on the ground in terms of work in southern Africa and globally.
Discussants: Prof Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs, Kule Chitepo and Dr Deon Nel
Moderator: Dr Rika Preiser
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Prof Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs is co-director of the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at Stellenbosch University and holds the DST/NRF South African Research Chair in Social-Ecological Systems and Resilience. Her research focuses on advancing social-ecological systems and resilience theory, with a particular focus on understanding transformative systemic change and tipping points in interconnected social-ecological systems. She also has a keen interest in fostering regional science-policy-practice networks and engaging globally in the development of this research area. She leads the Southern African Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (SAPECS) and currently co-chairs the Science Committee of the international Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), a core global research program of future Earth. She serves on the South African Global Change Science Committee, the Board of Directors of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics in Sweden, and the scientific board of the international Resilience Alliance. She has a background in Geography and Environmental Science, with a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and remains affiliated with the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden where she was based prior to taking up the position at Stellenbosch University.
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Kule Chitepo is an expert in transboundary natural resources management policy and practice, and with over 20 years of work experience, Kule Chitepo has a proven track record of building and leading successful multi-million dollar environmental projects and partnerships between civil society, private sector, national governments and their regional structures across Southern Africa, working with organizations such as the United Nations, as well as with international donors and cooperation partners such as USAID. Kule has chaired professional structures such as the IUCN’s Southern Africa Sustainable Use Specialist Group, and he serves as a Trustee of WWF South Africa. Kule is currently Chemonics International’s Chief of Party for the USAID Resilient Waters Program, where he leads a team of regional experts in a US$33 million program working with SADC’s River Basin and Groundwater Management Organizations, as well as Trans-frontier Conservation Areas to improve the transboundary governance and management of natural (particularly water and biodiversity) resources across southern Africa.
Dr Deon Nel is the CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership, a coalition of more than 50 organisations joining forces to build resilience in the face of shocks, uncertainty and change. Previously, he held the position of Executive Director for Conservation at WWF International, where he played a leading role in the strategic refocus of WWF’s global conservation programme. Deon has spent most of his career working in Africa and previously held the position of Director of Conservation for WWF’s Regional Office of Africa and Conservation Director for WWF in his home country of South Africa. Here he also led the Ecosystems and Water Competency Areas at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He has served on numerous Advisory Boards, including the Luc Hoffman Institute and the Landscape Finance Lab. Deon holds a PhD in Ecology, a MBA, a MPhil in Environmental Law, a MSc in Conservation Biology, and has published over 60 scientific papers, books and reports.