EPRU Researchers Contribute to EfD Annual Meeting in Tanzania
EfD members attending the NatCap Workshop ahead of the EfD Annual Meeting. Photo: EfD South Africa
EPRU was fortunate enough to attend the 19th EfD Annual Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 16th-19th of October. Throughout the 4-day event, researchers from throughout the EfD network of countries attended a variety of program-specific seminars and talks from guest speakers, and presentations by top researchers. EPRU was well represented, with members presenting across multiple panels covering a range of important environmental topics. It is amazing to see PhD candidates, postdocs, and researchers alike presenting their findings and contributing to the wealth of research under EfD.
NatCap team aligns priorities and strengthens communication
Ahead of the Annual Meeting, on the 14th of October, EPRU hosted a workshop for its collaborative NatCap. This workshop aimed to build on the outcomes and collaboration from the workshop hosted in May earlier this year. The four theme leaders for NatCap outlined their current challenges and objectives. Break-out groups then discussed the two newly accepted research proposals. These discussions focused on defining specific work packages for the next two years and ensuring early engagement with key agencies. The workshop also led to an improved communication strategy between the members, with centre-level summary reports to help track progress and support inclusion. These outcomes reinforce a shared strategic direction for NatCap’s work and strengthened its ability for cross-country collaboration and policy engagement.
Climate equity and biodiversity targets in the global South
During the Annual Meeting, Professor Edwin Muchapondwa chaired a seminar with guest speaker Precious Zikhali from the World Bank, discussing climate change and equity in Africa. The talk explored the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30x30 target, which is a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30% of land and ocean areas as protected areas by 2030. This ambitious goal has important policy implications for developing countries, and the seminar drew considerable interest at the event.
Celebrating research impact at the EfD Awards Dinner
On Saturday evening, the Awards Dinner celebrated researchers and students who had produced papers which furthered the field of environmental economics. For the EfD Policy Impact Award, Martine Visser and Jane Turpie’s paper named “Natural capital accounting for enhanced environmental-economic decision-making in South Africa” was a runner-up and received a certificate of excellence.
EPRU is committed to collaborative research
It is inspiring to see so many EPRU researchers who were able to attend the Annual Meeting and play active roles in the panels and seminars. Their contributions not only show the depth of EPRU’s research capacity, but its commitment to collaboration and strengthening within the EfD network.
Josh Gray