Food, Water and Biodiversity Nexus - Land Use, Restoration & Transformation
Tracks
Food, Water and Biodiversity Nexus
| Monday, October 13, 2025 |
| 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM |
Speaker
Ms Hannah Merrett-Kaufman
Student
Victoria University of Wellington
Reimagining Abandoned Agricultural Lands: Transforming Belmont Regional Park into a Sustainable Recreational Ecosanctuary
1:30 PM - 2:15 PMBiography
Master of Landscape Architecture Student at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Dr Scott Stephens
Chief Scientist - Coasts & Estuaries
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Transforming coastal lowland systems threatened by sea-level-rise into prosperous communities
2:15 PM - 2:30 PMBiography
Dr Scott Stephens is a coastal-hazards who specialises in extreme sea-level and wave analysis and assessment of coastal hazards for adaptation to sea-level rise. Scott leads the 2021-26 MBIE Endeavour programme called "Transforming coastal lowland systems threatened by sea-level-rise into prosperous communities".
Ms Ahyeong Im
Kyung Hee University
Changes in environmental and economic benefits caused by land use policies in the East Asian monsoon region
2:30 PM - 2:45 PMBiography
Ahyeong Im is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the Department of Geography at Kyung Hee University, Seoul. Ahyeong's research focuses on the impacts of human-induced land cover and land use changes on the climate at regional as well as global scales.
Mr Nouhou Zoungrana
PhD Student
Université Norbert Zongo
Impacts of agricultural land restoration techniques in savanna ecosystems: Lessons Learned from Zitenga, central-plateau region of Burkina Faso, West Africa
2:45 PM - 3:00 PMBiography
Environmentalist with 5+ years of expertise in climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Key contributor to the GGW in Burkina Faso, advancing food security and poverty reduction through sustainable agriculture and stakeholder engagement. Skilled in project management, with strong leadership. Passionate about nature-based solutions, climate resilience, and policy interfaces.
Dr Samjhana Bista
Country Director
Danchurchaid / DCA
Impact of natural disasters on Local food system and agro-biodiversity – A case from Western Nepal
3:00 PM - 3:15 PMBiography
Samjhana Bista is a passionate researcher on sustainable consumption, climate change adaptation and urban issues; and bring in more than 20 years of experience as a development practitioner. She believes in communicating science and hence try in blend the knowledge generated by science to the field and vice versa. She is currently working as the Country Director of a Danish Organisation called DanChurchAid, which has Climate Action at its core.
