Watch this webinar: An Embedded Researcher approach to integrate climate information into decision-making in southern African cities: lessons from FRACTAL
Building the climate resilience of African cities fits squarely within the category of complex problems that may benefit from taking a transdisciplinary approach to co-producing actionable knowledge between multiple actors and disciplines. Yet one of the key challenges in implementing a transdisciplinary approach is building enough trust, familiarity and understanding across various boundaries to engage in meaningful co-production.
The Future Resilience for African Cities and Lands (FRACTAL) project employed several strategies to address this challenge, one of which is the establishment of Embedded Researchers.
This webinar gave participants an overview of the main points raised in the FRACTAL Working Paper entitled “An Embedded Researcher approach to integrate climate information into decision making in southern African cities: lessons from FRACTAL”, including:
- The conceptual underpinnings and rationale of the Embedded Researcher approach;
- An overview of how the Embedded Researcher approach was operationalised in FRACTAL; through a coordinated city partnerships approach;
- The benefits of and inhibitors to the Embedded Researcher approach;
- The lessons learned that may be transferable to other contexts.
Watch this webinar here:
Speakers
Dr Anna Taylor – FRACTAL embedded research coordinator, Climate System Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, South Africa
FRACTAL Embedded Researchers
Dr Lulu van Rooyen – University of KwaZulu Natal and eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa
Kornelia Iipinge – University of Nambia and City of Windhoek, Namibia
Brenda Mwalukanga – University of Zambia and Lusaka City Council, Zambia
Hecrálito Mucavele – Eduardo Mondlane University and Maputo City Council, Mozambique
Rudo Mamombe – Chinhoyi University of Technology and City of Harare, Zimbabwe
Facilitator
Dr Anna Taylor
Speaker Biographies
Dr Anna Taylor
Dr Anna Taylor is a post-doctoral researcher in the Environmental and Geographical Science Department at the University of Cape Town (UCT), specialising in urban climate adaptation. Anna has 13 years of experience working on climate adaptation research projects internationally, with a particular interest in water related risks and vulnerabilities. She collaborates with colleagues in UCT’s Climate System Analysis Group and the African Centre for Cities to conduct inter- and trans-disciplinary research on public decision making, multi-level governance and co-producing knowledge to address climate risks and vulnerabilities in southern African cities. Anna’s PhD involved working as an Embedded Researcher in the City of Cape Town local government, investigating how climate adaptation plays out as a process of organisational decision-making. Within the FCFA-funded Future Resilience of African Cities and Lands (FRACTAL) project, Anna has coordinated and strengthened the capacity of seven embedded researchers across six cities.
Kornelia Iipinge
Kornelia Iipinge is the Windhoek Embedded Researcher for the FRACTAL Project in partnership with University of Namibia and City of Windhoek. She holds an MSc in Integrated Water Resources Management and a BSc in Integrated Environmental Science. Kornelia has over 4 years of experience. She has worked at the United Nations Development Programme (Namibia Office); Gobabeb Research and Training Centre; Namibia Botanical Research Institute and Cheetah Conservation Fund. Kornelia is interested in water, climate change adaptation, urban governance and project management.
Brenda Mwalukanga
Brenda Mwalukanga is the Lusaka Embedded Researcher. She holds a BA in development studies from the University of Zambia and an MSc in urban management and development from Erasmus University in Rotterdam. She has worked as a socio-economic planner in the local authority for 8 years before joining the FRACTAL project as an Embedded Researcher for 3 years. She has experience developing city strategic planning documents such as the disaster risk reduction strategy and the city’s developmental strategic plan. She has more recently worked on integrating climate information into decision-making processes in Lusaka through trainings that targeted decision-makers, councilors and through the development of key outputs aimed at policy makers at a national level.
Rudo Mamombe
Rudo Mamombe is the FRACTAL Embedded Researcher at the City of Harare. She graduated from Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT, Zimbabwe) with a BSc (Hons) in Wildlife and Safari Management. She is currently undertaking her Master of Philosophy studies on climate change risks, vulnerabilities and decision-making for the water sector in the City of Harare, Zimbabwe at CUT. Her main research interests are on trans-disciplinary and collaborative research focusing on climate change resilience in cities and the governance of natural resources. She has worked on several projects on climate change and adaptation in the water sector and agriculture.
Dr Lulu van Rooyen
Dr Lulu van Rooyen (née Pretorius) is the Durban Embedded Researcher. She holds a BSc. in Environmental Science and a BSc. (Hons) in Plant Science (UP); and an MSc and PhD in Environmental Management (UNISA). Lulu has experience as an environmental and ecological consultant, researcher and advocate. Since November 2016 she has been employed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to act as an Embedded Researcher in the eThekwini Municipality, as part of the Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP); where she is to develop and implement a long-term biodiversity-monitoring program.
Hecralito Mucavele
Hecralito Mucavele is currently the Maputo Embedded Researcher working on the FRACTAL project in partnership with Eduardo Mondlane University and Maputo City Council in Mozambique. He holds an MSc in Cartography and Geographical Information System and has worked as an urban and environmental planner in the Maputo Municipality since 2006. His areas of interest are; urban planning, environment, land management, and climate change.