Event Summary
Speakers
- Arlindo Carvalho, West African Coastal Management Program
- Alessio Giardino, Senior coastal engineer, Deltares
- Geisel de Menezes, Head of Planning and Foresight Department, STP
- Egnankou Wadja Mathieu, Department of Botany at the Félix Houphouet-Boigny University of Cocody, Abidjan
- Moderator: Nicolas Desramaut, Task Team Leader, WACA Mauritania and Sao Tome and Principe
Description
Friday November 22, 11:00 – 12:30, Room 2
Coastal zones around the world are extremely vulnerable due to their exposure to both marine and inland natural hazards, the high socio-economic pressure from populations and investments and the impact that climate change may have on these areas. The use of advanced modelling techniques, in combination with remote sensed and local data can be used to assess the impact of natural hazards and risks and define possible adaptation solutions and their effectiveness. This is particularly important for the implementation of Nature-Based type of Solutions (NBS), given the limited knowledge available in relation to this type of adaptation options as well as the number of case studies in which NBS have been successfully implemented. In this session, we will bring our experiences from regional initiatives and São Tomé and Príncipe and. The study carried out by Deltares in São Tomé and Príncipe, in close cooperation with the local government, will show how informed decisions on suitable adaptation options (green and gray solutions and combinations) can be used to mitigate the impact of natural hazards and climate change. The use of satellite data in monitoring of NBS will be also presented as well as the experience of local NGOs working with local communities.
Speaker bios
Eng. Arlindo Carvalho, WACA coordinator for São Tomé and Principe: Arlindo de Ceita Carvalho, Graduatde in Geographical Sciences at the University of Havana, post-graduated in Demography, at the Latin American Demographic Centre in Santiago de Chile, and postgraduate in Environmental Management at the Swiss Academy of the Environment in Geneva;
He has held various government positions, including Minister of Trade and Industry and Minister of Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Environment, and Director General of Environment. He is currently the coordinator of the investment project in Sao Tome and Principe under the West African Coastal Management Program (WACA Program), financed by the World Bank.
Dr.Alessio Giardino is a specialist in coastal erosion management, multi-hazard risk assessments, planning of disaster risk reduction measures and adaptation to climate change. He has been involved as expert adviser and team leader in several assignments in different countries worldwide. In West Africa, he has been leading a study to quantify large-scale coastal morphodynamics and the impact of major anthropogenic interventions and climate change on the West Africa coastline (i.e. Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin). He has also been actively working in several assignment on multi-hazard risk assessment in Sao Tome and Principe and currently in Liberia. He is a strong believer of engaging local stakeholders in coastal engineering projects using a variety of interactive tools of which he has been leading the development (e.g. “SimpleCoast” toolkit www.simplecoast.com).
Dr. Geisel de Menezes, Head of Planning and Foresight Department, STP:is a sociologist with a post-graduation in Economic and Public Policy. He coordinates the Planning and Prospective Department of the São Tome and Principe Ministry of Planning, Finance and blue Economy. He is also the National Focal Point for the NDC partnership.
Currently he is passionate about two subject: 1) Strategies to increase the effectiveness of public investments and 2) ways to move both development and climate agendas forward as a one.
Prof. Egnankou Wadja Mathieu, ecologist, lecturer, professor and researcher in the Department of Botany at the Félix Houphouet-Boigny University of Cocody, Abidjan. In 1992, he received the Goldmah Prize for the Environment in recognition of his efforts to safeguard Ivorian mangroves. He is also president of the NGO SOS-Forêts. Cote d’ivoire
Nicolas Desramaut, Task Team Leader, WACA Mauritania and Sao Tome and Principe