RE-THINKING IEM IN PURSUIT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Ayodele Odusola is the Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Africa and Director of the UNDP Africa Finance Sector Hub.

Prior, he was Chief Economist and Head of the Strategy and Analysis Team for United Nations Development Programme’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA), where he coordinated economic, social and environmental dimensions of development in Africa. Dr. Odusola provided intellectual leadership to SDG acceleration frameworks in sub-Saharan Africa, managing the network of Senior Economists in UNDP Africa Country Offices and providing strategic advice on policy matters to the RBA Director.

Mr. Odusola is a Nigerian national and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Mr Shonisani (Shoni) Munzhedzi is the Chief Executive Officer at the South African Biodiversity Institute(SANBI), having served as the Deputy Director General: Biodiversity and Conservation in the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environmental. He also served in public service leadership positions on numerous environment and conservation portfolios in the three spheres of government(national, provincial & local government). He served as a negotiator on numerous Multilateral Environmental Agreements, particularly UNCBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC and the IPBES.

Professor Coleen Vogel is a Climatologist, Adaptation and Sustainability Specialist based in the Global Change Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research interests include systemic risk reduction, climate services, drought and the ‘human dimensions’ specific to the urban landscape. She was one of the key contributors to the writing of the Green and White Papers on South African Disaster Management and was a major contributing author for the Disaster Management Act.

She was one of the Chapter Lead Authors of the Africa Chapter for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC 4th Assessment Report and was also an author of the Synthesis Report for Policy Makers of the 4th IPCC Assessment Report. A Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the author team, together with Al Gore, for the 4th Assessment Report. Professor Vogel has been Chair and Vice Chair of international committees such as the International Human Dimensions Programme, now known together with other international programmes as Future Earth.

She has received the international Burtoni award for her work on climate change advocacy and science of climate change adaptation. Her current research interests include transformative education for global environment change and sustainability, climate change in its broader context and adaptation and disaster risk reduction focusing particularly on the interactions between physical and social dimensions shaping change.

Mandy is the General Manager in the Office of the Group Chief Executive of Eskom Holdings, managing the Just Energy Transition (JET) office. In this role she is overseeing the development and acceleration of the utility’s JET vision and strategy. Eskom is the national electricity utility and one of the largest businesses in South Africa. Eskom currently supplies over 90% of the electricity used in the country. Mandy has over 20 years’ experience in Eskom. She developed numerous climate change and sustainable development related strategies for Eskom and was instrumental in driving Eskom’s efforts in this regard over the years. This together with her experience as a member the South African delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has allowed her to gain deep insights into various aspects of the sector, at the international, regional and national levels. Mandy was also appointed to serve on the recently established Presidential Commission on Climate Change, who will drive South Africa’s Just Transition plans. Mandy serves on the Boards of the NBI (South Africa’s National Business Initiative) and the Global Change Institute (University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg). Mandy represents Eskom on the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition advisory committee and the Net Zero task force.

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair is a Senior Economist at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). He leads TIPS's work on Sustainable Growth. Gaylor is also a Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED). He holds two Master’s degree, respectively in International Affairs from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) of Grenoble, France, and in Energy and Environment Economics from the Grenoble Faculty of Economics, France. Gaylor has been working on green economy issues for more than 12 years and has carried extensive research on the transition to an inclusive green economy from a developing country perspective, with a focus on policy frameworks, industrial development, just transition and resource security. Prior to TIPS, Gaylor worked at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance as well as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Hastings Chikoko is the Managing Director of Regions and Mayoral Engagement & Regional Director for Africa at C40 Cities. He serves on the Advisory Board of the African Centre for Cities and also sits on the Advisory Group for the African Cities Research Consortium at the Global Development Institute of the University of Manchester. He is one of the Board of Directors at the World Green Building Council and sits on the Technical Advisory Group of the Global Environment Facility - GEF (Sustainable Cities and Urban Systems). He is a member of the Africa-Europe Strategic Task Force on Sustainable Energy, and the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Clean Air. He also serves on the Global Supervisory Council/Board of Wetlands International. With a postgraduate degree in Cities from the London School of Economics (LSE), his work with local governments started at the City of Blantyre and later at the Ministry of Local Government in Malawi. Prior to joining C40 Cities, Hastings had a long career with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Switzerland; including being the Regional Director (a.i) for East and Southern Africa and Head of IUCN in South Africa. Besides an MSc in Cities from LSE, he also holds an MSc in Strategic Management (University of Derby, UK), a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Diplomacy - specializing in Green Economy (University of Geneva, Switzerland) and a BSc in Economics (University of Malawi).

Amanda is currently the Director: Legal Support NEMA in the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa. She was appointed to this position in 2011. She commenced her career in 1992 in the Department of Welfare, and then moved to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in 1997, now known as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment. She has worked in various positions in this Department since 1997 covering policy development, legal support, and advisory aspects. Amanda’s work mostly relates to legal issues focusing on integrated environmental management, the bulk of which was EIA / IA related, but which has recently transitioned towards finding alternative responsible mechanisms to ensure environmental management, while relaxing strict command and control regimes.
Her responsibilities include: (1) Drafting and legal vetting of legislation including subordinate legislation such as regulations, norms and standards and a variety of legal Notices; (2) Drafting of environmental management instruments supporting environmental management; (3) Providing legal advice and support to legal instruments both to internal and external stakeholders; and (4) Ensuring close liaison with provincial environmental departments and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy who are implementers of national environmental legislation. Amanda has been involved in various national legal reform processes, including the development of new laws and amendments to facilitate alternative methods to impact assessment. She has been registered with EAPASA since 2021.

Letlhogonolo Tsoai is a qualified Environmental Engineering Technologist (Civil). Her career spans over 8 years, where she started in the construction industry and later moved to a coal fired power station, playing a role in the management of the stations coal value chain (from mine to station). She further pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management and later a Postgraduate Diploma in Energy Leadership which has been key in cementing her commitment to the energy sector. Letlhogonolo is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Energy Leadership at Wits Business School, and works for The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA).
SAWEA is a leading advocacy body for the wind industry in South Africa and leads in policy advocacy and representing the wind industry in liaising with government and regulatory stakeholders.

Peter has 25 years’ experience in environmental law and practices as an advocate of the High Court of SA in Cape Town specialising in Environment, labour and constitutional law. He was previously a partner in a firm of attorneys in Cape Town and is currently chairman of the Environmental Law Association and a trustee of the Cape Town Heritage Trust.

Dr Patrick Sithole is currently the Registrar of EAPASA. He is a Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAPASA), a Registered Natural Scientific Professional (SACNASP – Environmental and Chemical scientist) and a Social and Sustainability expert with 21 years of experience. Patrick specialises in Strategic Environmental projects, Social and Sustainable Development projects, Climate Change and Health, Environmental Management issues and Construction Supervision of all infrastructural projects. Dr Sithole is also involved in vegetation clearance and pest control projects along infrastructural projects e.g. roads, railway lines, power lines, golf courses and buildings like complexes, houses, malls, etc. Patrick has a very strong business development mindset that has seen him winning and working on projects across Africa and in Europe. His key experience includes the following areas;
Environmental (Natural Resource) Management; Environmental Compliance; Social Facilitation and Consultation; Compensation of Land Claims; Climate Change; Climate (Change) and Human Health; Air Quality Management; Renewable Energy; Waste Management; Land Rehabilitation; Water Quality/Demand Management; Strategic Environmental Assessment; Waste Water (sewer) Treatment; Project Management; ISO 9001 and ISO14001; Vegetation Control Bush Clearance (Invasive plants).

Paul Lee joined Umvoto in 2012 as the Senior Environmentalist and Climatologist having a BSc in Climatology and Environmental Science from the University of Cape Town. His working career reflects the dual nature of his academic studies; Paul spent 15 years working in various aspects of mining in the South African diaspora which included exploration and prospecting, environmental management of mines, and the international sales of mining material mainly in Asia where he worked and resided. He subsequently left mining to take up a position in the Antarctic, representing the 50th South African expedition (2011) to overwinter. He served this role in the twin position as Team Leader and Senior Meteorological Officer for the expedition. On his return to Cape Town, he was employed to assist Umvoto Africa in the setup of a department that subscribes to both practices of environmental and climatological work. His accomplishments within the company include overseeing the operational and environmental management of the Overstrand Groundwater Wellfield in Hermanus, which is described as the flagship of conjunctive groundwater and surface water usage in the country with exemplary environmental controls and a sophisticated high-tech approach towards wellfield control. Paul has also assisted mines in Ethiopia with the construction of meteorological recording stations in the Danakil region (adjacent to the Red Sea and 120 meters below sea level), where he was challenged by the hottest climatic conditions on earth, which contrasted with his Antarctic weather recording experiences.

Lionnel holds a MSc in Environmental Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He has also successfully completed an Occupation Health and Safety (OHS) Diploma at Oxbridge Academy. He is a SACNASP registered candidate with 2 years’ experience in the environmental management field. In addition to his IAIAsa membership, Lionnel is a keen member of the Green Heart Foundation, having been involved in the reforestation rally in Dakar in 2009 and assuming a managerial role as a team leader in 2018. He is currently employed as a Junior Environmental Scientist at Umvoto Africa, where he is involved in multiple field campaigns (Atlantis, Cape Flats and Steenbras) to collect, process, analyse and quality control groundwater level data.

Damian Hans completed his BSc and BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Water Science in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Damian was appointed as an Intern Environmentalist in September 2018 at Umvoto Africa. In March 2019, he was offered a permanent position as a Junior Environmentalist by Umvoto Africa. Damian completed a MSc in Environmental and Water Science in August 2019 at the University of the Western Cape. His study looked at the classification of the Kars River Wetland in Struisbaai, Western Cape, where he also looked at the effect that the wetland has on river flows through modelling and developing a water balance of the study area. Since joining Umvoto Africa, Damian has been involved in a variety of different projects across the Western Cape region, including environmental monitoring programs, groundwater abstraction audits, construction of weather stations, environmental compliance audits and stakeholder engagement meetings. Damian has a passion for sustainable development and aims to improve his knowledge and skills to make valuable contributions to this sector in the future.

Jeanne-Louise is a senior environmental scientist at Zutari since 2013. She specialises in environmental advisory services for mostly civil, roads and water related projects. She obtained a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geography from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 2005, after completing her Bachelor of Science in Geography and Zoology at the North-West University (NWU) in 2004. She is a member of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), South Africa and is registered as a Level A certified natural scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). She is also a registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner with the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA).

Dr Oliver Cowan is conservation scientist working in the Conservation Science Unit of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). His work includes mapping the distribution of species of conservation concern and, as such, is involved in producing and refining the animal sensitivity of layer of the Environmental Screening Tool. Dr Cowan also coordinates the response of the EWT to proposed developments and has a keen interest in the EIA process.

Ashleigh is a Senior Scientist in SRK’s Johannesburg office. She has a MSc (Biochemistry) from the University of Johannesburg and 13 years’ experience in the mining, water, climate change, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Using her experience, she focusses on the integration of Climate Change into mine and infrastructure design to ensure that the risks of climate change are addressed at the design and planning phases. Ashleigh is a professionally registered Natural Scientist and Environmental Assessment Practitioner and is a member of NACA and the IAIAsa.

Chimwemwe is an Environmental Safeguards Officer Working with the African Development Bank to ensure environmental and social sustainability in bank financed projects.She has a PhD in Biodiversity Management from the University of Kent and a Masters Degree in Human Ecology from the Free University of Brussels.She has over 20 years’ experience working in the environment and biodiversity conservation field as an academic, researcher and consultant.She has experience conducting EIAs, Biodiversity Assessments and Gender and Natural Resources Management Research.She has published several book chapters.

Dr Ilse Aucamp is a Director of Equispectives Research and Consulting Services in South Africa. She conducts social, gender and human rights assessments, due diligence studies, public consultation, stakeholder management processes and designs and implement social impact management strategies. She has a keen interest in social development and social entrepreneurship. Ilse is an internationally published author and has a passion for research. As such, she has worked on large research projects with a focus on integrating social aspects of environmental management into the biophysical sciences. Ilse teaches Social Impact Assessment on a masters’ degree level at several universities in South Africa. She also supervises masters and doctoral students in the environmental and social fields. Her passion is working with grassroots communities. Ilse has 25 years’ experience as a social scientist and has worked all over the African continent. She also worked as a social worker in the United Kingdom and an English teacher in Taiwan. She holds a DPhil degree in Social Work from the University of Pretoria and a Masters’ degree in Environmental Management from North West University

Jessica is an environmental scientist at Jones & Wagener Engineering and Environmental Consultants where she is involved in various environmental projects including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), Environmental Management Programme Reports (EMPRs), Auditing, Water Use Licensing, mine closure, wetland- and aquatic assessments, and research projects. She is also part of the Sustainable Committee at Jones & Wagener, where she contributes to sustainable development initiatives which includes sustainability reporting and carbon footprint calculations. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Zoology and an MSc degree in Entomology from the University of Pretoria and is a Candidate Environmental Assessment Practitioner registered with EAPASA. Jessica enjoys scuba diving, hiking, and reading.

Taryn is passionate about all aspects of the environment and has worked in multiple sectors from conservation to development, water, energy, and mining in an environmental capacity. In 2013 she started Environmental Management Assistance (Pty) Ltd. (EMA); a company whose goal is to assist developers become sustainable. Taryn was on the IAIAsa Mpumalanga committee for several years and on the IAIAsa NEC in 2019. She is currently in her 3rd year as an advisor on the United Nations committee for combating desertification in South Africa and is on a full-time fixed contract with Deloitte international consulting on the Southern Africa energy program, for power Africa and USAid, acting as an environmental specialist, advising the SADC region on environmental practices in the energy sector. Taryn holds a Research Masters in Geography specializing in Geomorphology (landscape change), her research project entailed looking at the Geomorphic Impact of Elephants on the Tembe Elephant Park. She also holds an Honours degree in Social Science Geography (with full academic colours and distinction), a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Environmental Management and Geography, and a Diploma in Game Ranging and Lodge Management. Taryn has a combined 17 years’ experience in: conservation, scientific services in protected areas, ecological reporting, ecological monitoring, development of protected areas management plans, assisting with development of elephant management plans, environmental compliance (she was a grade 2 Environmental Management Inspector for iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority), energy advisory in the SADC region, renewable energy (Solar (PV, CSP, Solar Home systems, mini grids, transmission lines, wind and hydroelectric power), mining, Environmental licensing, working with resettlement actions plans, working with the RAP team, developing the environmental and social sections in operation and maintenance manuals, implementation, developing environmental management systems, environmental auditing and water resource development and training water affairs officials to be EMI on key legislation and utilities on environmental management systems. In addition, she also has extensive experience in a wide range of environmentally related projects, processes, and applications for private, commercial and industrial clients, in addition to local, provincial and national government departments and has project experience funded by development banks, such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank, where she played an advisory role to help utilities implement the safeguards and banks sustainability standards and goals. She has also assisted SAEP with implementing a project relating to Wildlife and Energy in several SADC countries, which is driven by the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

Gemma Bluff is an Environmentalist and Climatologist at Umvoto Africa (Pty) Ltd. Gemma holds a Master’s degree in Environmental and Geographical Sciences. During her time at Umvoto, she has gained more than three years’ work experience as an Environmental Control Officer on the Cape Flats Aquifer Management Scheme New Water Programme. Gemma worked on the United Nations (UN) Freshwater Chapter of the sixth edition GEO-6, which equipped her with an understanding of the UN’s SDGs. Gemma is currently involved in the UN Global Compact SDG Ambition Accelerator which is a call to companies to align their strategies and operations with global standards.

Mark is a registered Professional Natural Scientist and has run his own biodiversity consultancy for the last 12 years. He specializes in conservation strategy, tactics and insight, primarily in the areas of policy, ecological compensation and offsets, land protection and stewardship. His current focus is developing protected area expansion and offset projects. Other interests include biodiversity stewardship for environmental outcomes and financial mechanisms for investments in ecological infrastructure. Mark’s experience includes ten years investigating biodiversity stewardship and policy reform (under the Botanical Society of South Africa), and two years heading up the conservation portfolio and protected area land acquisition strategy of WWF-South Africa. Mark holds an MSc in forest ecology from the University of Cape Town.

Tandi Breetzke, is affectionately referred to by IAIAsa doyen, Rod Bulman, as the Queen of the Coast, is an environmental specialist. Her aim is to facilitate an understanding of the legislative requirements, interpret the scientific contribution and add a people focus to integrated coastal and estuarine management. She heads Coastwise Consulting, adopting a business model based on a collective network response to issues on the coast – from policy development to specialist impact assessments.

Associate Professor Jennifer Broadhurst has more than 35 years research and development experience in the field of mineral’s beneficiation within various industry and academic organisations. Building on her industrial experience, the overarching aim of her academic research over the past two decades has been to actively contribute to a more environmentally and socially-responsible primary minerals industry through the development of an enhanced understanding of, and innovative approaches and effective tools for, minimising the long-term environmental impacts associated with mine waste, polluted water and degraded land, as well as the concomitant adverse effects on the quality of life and livelihoods of surrounding communities. She is currently serving as Research Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Deputy Director of Minerals to Metals, Director of the GCRF Mine Dust & Health Network, and Interim SARChI: Bioprocess Engineering.

Susie Brownlie has an MSc in Environmental Studies from the University of Cape Town, awarded with distinction. She has worked as an environmental assessment practitioner for over 30 years on a range of development types in both private and public sectors in developed and developing countries. Her strengths lie in both advising on, and acting as an independent reviewer of, environmental assessments involving impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services and their effective mitigation. Susie is a past co-chair of IAIA international’s Biodiversity and Ecology Section, and was a member of the international Business and Biodiversity Offset Programme’s advisory group. She has published a number of papers in peer-reviewed journals on biodiversity-inclusive impact assessment and biodiversity offsets, and is the author of – or has contributed to the writing of - a number of international and national guidelines on impact assessment review, biodiversity-inclusive assessment and biodiversity offsets.

Carla Hudson is the Programme Manager for the Mine Water Coordinating Body (MWCB) and Provincial Manager – Mpumalanga for the Impact Catalyst based in Pretoria, South Africa. She is responsible for facilitating regional sustainable mine closure for the MWCB members in the Upper Olifants Catchment in the Mpumalanga Coalfields as well as the development of socio-economic upliftment projects in support of the Just Transition. Carla has a MSc degree in Sustainable Development and Climate Change from SOAS, University of London and a BSc (Hons) degree in Geology from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She is a mine closure and environmental specialist with extensive experience in Environmental Impact Assessments, Mine Closure Permitting, Water Management and Stakeholder Engagement. Before her current role she was the Regional Manager for the Northern Areas for the Wildlife & Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA) and an Independent Consultant.

Falko is a conservation biologist with a PhD in ecology. He currently works as a senior lecturer in environmental management at the University of the Free State as well as a part-time copywriter for the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. His core research is on the way spatial and temporal distribution of biodiversity affects conservation and management outcomes, but he also works at the science-policy interface to understand how scientific research can be implemented more effectively.

Philippa is a Principal Scientist in SRK’s Durban office. She has a BSc Hons (Environmental Science) from the University of Rhodes, Grahamstown and 18 years’ experience in sustainability assessment focused on air quality and more recently climate change including the use of a range of integrated environmental management tools in the industrial and mining sectors. Philippa brings a strategic perspective to the team to execute innovative solutions to challenges posed by climate change. Philippa is a professionally registered Natural Scientist and Environmental Assessment Practitioner and is a member of NACA and the IAIAsa.

Kirthi Chetty is a final year Chemical Engineering student at the University of Cape Town. Her passions and interests include issues of social justice, the ocean and sustainability. She wishes to use her skills to develop sustainable and affordable solutions to help develop South Africa, Africa, and the world.

Glenn is Managing Director and Chief Technical Officer of Verterra. Glenn Holds a BSc in Forestry and Biochemistry, a PhD in Molecular & Quantitative Genetics, and an MBA. He currently holds an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Southern Queensland. Glenn has over 34 years’ practical experience in natural resource management and ecological engineering, with broad international experience including New Zealand, China, USA, England, Spain, Portugal, Malaysia, Colombia, Brazil, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Glenn’s work in breeding salt tolerant eucalypts was nominated as a finalist for the inaugural Institution of Engineers Australia National Salinity Prize in 2002 and was runner up in the 2004 Australian Museum Eureka Science Prize for Industry. Glenn has expertise in management and restoration of saline-sodic environments. He has worked across a wide variety of sectors including forestry, agriculture, water supply, municipal, natural resource management, mining, and coal seam gas, enabling him to bring an integrated, multidisciplinary perspective to new challenges in soil, water and vegetation management in land rehabilitation and beneficial use of wastewater and organics.

Kirsten Day is a PhD candidate and part-time lecturer at the University of Cape Town, conducting research into competing constructions of risk in the context of environmental management. Her research draws on her work as an Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioner in the private sector for 15 years in South Africa and the United Kingdom. She has a Masters degree in Environmental Management and a second Masters in Environmental Law.

Justin du Toit is the Managing Director of Vuna Agribusiness (Pty) Ltd – a Durban-based consultancy specialising in agricultural development and agribusiness. Justin is an Agricultural Economist by training and profession who uses his strengths in strategic, critical and ‘outside-the-box’ thinking to develop client-focused solutions across a wide range of consulting projects. Since 2009, he has contributed to and managed over 130 large and small scale agricultural, sustainable development and spatial planning projects in countries including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, the Sultanate of Oman, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia. Through these projects he has developed a core skill set which comprises the ability to gather, analyse and interpret data and to generate meaningful recommendations for Clients. These projects have also allowed him to develop his skills as a project and people manager of integrated and sometimes complex projects.

Philip Dukas is a business minded and sustainability orientated practitioner with 15 years of environmental and social sustainability related consulting experience across southern Africa. He is an enthusiastic project manager known for driving on-the-ground sustainability, whilst managing people and resources to deliver on time, within budget and to expectations. He is also the founder of a freelance environmental and social sustainability company called Adaptera Strategic Support Services which aims to create sustainable solutions across the African continent.

Jessica Edwards is Senior Social Consultant with over 18 years’ experience in social safeguard practices. She holds a Masters degree in Environment and Society from the University of Pretoria, and has completed over 40 Social Impact Assessments and similar social studies. Recently, Jessica has been at the forefront of developing mechanisms to ensure social transition towards mine closure to ensure a sustainable transition for communities beyond mining. Jessica has been working on Social Safeguard Auditing against the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards, as well as several Competent Persons Reports and Due Diligence assessments.

Babalwa Fatyi, a Master of Science (cum laude) graduate and member of the Institute of Directors -South Africa, is a registered Professional Natural Scientist, registered Auditor as well as a founder and Managing Director of Myezo Environmental Management Services (Pty) Ltd (Myezo). Myezo is an advisory company, that provides sustainability services as well as geospatial solutions, across various sectors. She has over 20 years of consulting experience in the application of integrated environmental management tools within this sector, specialising in environmental impact assessments, development of environmental management plans and leading compliance or performance assessment audits. She also was involved in supporting the then Department of Environmental Affairs, task team for the development of the fourth national country report in the implementation of the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification.
She has shared her sustainability insights at various scientific knowledge sharing national and international platforms, along with publications in scientific journals. She was honoured with SA Association for Advancement of Science Award for an outstanding MSc degree for the best thesis across of south African Universities in the faculty of science in that year of her graduation.
She is also an author and a poet, who uses poetry as a voice to challenge certain stereotypes, unjust practices or norms and advocate for paradigm shift within various biophysical and socio-economic development thematic areas . She is also dedicating her time to spear-heading science sector succession planning and unlocking human capital value through mentoring, as a founding member of Myezo Growth and Development Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to reducing youth unemployment. She is the vice chairperson for South African chapter of Ladies of all Nations International, which has a footprint in 150 countries and supports again towards realisation of SDG No.5 across all sectors of economy and society.
She has been recognised as a philanthropist and was honoured with Doctor of Humanitarianism, honoris causa by the Global International Alliance, accredited with USA, accredited by International Association for Continuing Education and Training Accreditation (IACET).

Dr Dee Fischer is the Chief Director for Integrated Environmental Management Support at DFFE, responsible for streamlining the environmental regulatory framework.

Dr Dee Fischer holds a PhD in Energy Studies from the University of Johannesburg. Dee is employed as the Chief Director Environmental Management Support at the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and is responsible for among others the coordination of legislation between the NEMA and the MPRDA. In this capacity, Dee is the chair of the Interdepartmental Committee preparing proposed NEMA “Regulations Pertaining to the Exploration and Production of Onshore oil and Gas Requiring Hydraulic Fracturing”.

Gerhard has more than 24 years of experience in Environmental Management and Planning (23 years as a public servant, of which 6 years were as a manager and 11 years as a senior manager). He has been with the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning for more than 22 years and currently is the Chief Director Development Planning. He holds qualifications in Nature Conservation, Environmental Management, and Planning. He is a member of IAIAsa (International Association for Impact Assessment South Africa) and ELA (Environmental Law Association of South Africa), and he is an EAPASA Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner and an EAPASA appointed EAP Registration Assessor.

Noeleen Greyling is a Manager in the Communication and Stakeholder Engagement team at Zutari, who is seconded to the Impact Catalyst, as the Community and Stakeholder Engagement Lead. She has extensive experience in social research, community development, stakeholder engagement, impact assessment and resettlement planning. She focusses on strategic thinking and planning, community and people, innovative thinking, complex facilitations, mentoring, effective problem solving, industry collaboration and effective communication. She has been involved in various programmes and projects across the African continent. She is passionate and committed to advancing rural and regional socio-economic development and drives collective impact by providing a platform through the Impact Catalyst where diverse partners, sharing a common interest, can collaborate and address complex social issues.

After winning the first annual KwaZulu-Natal Department of Environmental Affairs Provincial Annual Biodiversity and Climate Change Challenge, my passion for environmental science was further ignited. I went on to represent my high school at the model UN debate, these steps represented the building blocks which would culminate towards my research journey within the environmental arena. I completed a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Environmental Science, followed by a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Environmental Management Cum Laude with distinctions in Environmental Monitoring, Impact Mitigation and Management as well as Integrated Environmental Management Systems and Auditing. This inculcated a deeply ingrained appreciation for research within sectors such as Integrated Environmental Management, thus motivating me to undertake my Master of Science qualification in Environmental Management. Under the expert guidance of associate Professor Jan Albert Wessels at the University of South Africa, I had commenced on my MSc research journey, coupled with the unparalleled support of my husband and parents I embarked on a research trajectory that has left me inspired and eager to continue research pertaining to environmental monitoring and environmental management.

Dr Dominic Henry is an ecologist at the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), and his primary work is focused on generating the animal species layers that are included in the Environmental Screening Tool. As a member of EWT’s Conservation Science Unit, Dominic also provides data analysis, study design and scientific support to various programmes within the organisation. Dominic is also an Honorary Research Associate at the Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation at the University of Cape Town.

Jacqui Hex completed her MSc in Environmental Management (cum laude) in 2006 at the University of Johannesburg. She has worked at Jones & Wagener for over 10 years as an Environmental Scientist and is the Head of the Environmental Management department where she leads a team of knowledgeable, diligent and dedicated Environmental Assessment Practitioners and Scientists.

Jacqui is responsible for the Health and Safety portfolio at Jones & Wagener, ensuring the company achieves its first priority, which is the safety and wellbeing of their staff, their families, and the community as a whole.

Jacqui is also a Director on the Board for Jones & Wagener International Limited and also serves on the Board for EAPASA where she is also a member of EXCO, the Registrations Committee and is the Chair of the PR Committee since 2017.

She is a Registered Scientist with SACNASP since 2011 and a Registered EAP with EAPASA since 2019 and has been a continuous member of the IAIAsa since 2008.

Sally-Anne is a Director of Circular-Vision, a Circular Economy strategy and design consultancy. She is passionate about making a positive impact by identifying opportunities to shift circular economy principles into implementation. Her focus is on driving economic, social, and environmental prosperity through connecting across the value chain; collaborating on projects; creating new business models that respond to circular economy principles and leading to a thriving and inclusive economy. A background in waste minimisation and many years in the resource efficiency and cleaner production consulting environment, has provided a sound base from which to work. She was previously an Executive Associate at JG Afrika (an engineering and environmental consultancy), a founding member of EcoStandard (083-558-NPO – www.ecostandard.co.za), a founding member and Director of the African Circular Economy Network (Non-profit Company Registration number: K2020115399 – www.acen.africa), and a Non-Executive Director of Polyco (www.polyco.co.za).

Nicola King has worked as a resource economist in the environmental, developmental, and private sectors. She has managed multi-disciplinary teams on various projects ranging from infrastructure, water, mining, forestry, sustainable development, climate change, sustainable cities, and various policy issues. She also has experience as an analyst in the financial sector working on commodities and equities. Her research and projects have spanned multiple countries across Africa, Asia, Central America, and Europe. She was awarded an NIHSS-SAHUDA scholarship and a Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s split-site award to complete her PhD in economics at the University of Johannesburg and SOAS University of London, focusing on the impact of the changing role of finance on the sustainability of commodity dependent corporations in South Africa.

Michael is doing his MPhil in Environmental Management and Sustainability at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Michael was awarded 78% for his BSc (Hons) with a focus on botany in 2019. He achieved a first-class pass for the coursework component of his MPhil, which included modules on environmental law and environmental management. Michael has a working knowledge of physical geography and botany and is a demonstrator at the Environmental & Geographical Science department at UCT. He is passionate about protecting the environment and hopes to work in the EIA field after graduation.

Lehman Lindeque was born in the Northeastern Free State town of Reitz where he is currently living. Lehman has 24 years’ experience at the National Department of Agriculture where he contributed extensively to the monitoring and assessment of natural resources, training in land degradation, Sustainable Land Management, as well as the design and impact monitoring of LandCare Projects. In addition, he led the technical and participatory assessments of land degradation in South Africa as part of the FAO funded Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) Project and provided expert advice to many local and other African projects. In 2016, he joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the Project Manager for a Global Environment Facility funded project on Sustainable Land Management. Lehman’s field of expertise is the assessment and evaluation of land degradation; the design, management, and monitoring of SLM interventions in agro-ecological systems; and the use of holistic and integrated approaches based on the understanding of the interaction between humans and nature in these systems. Lehman has a National Diploma in Agriculture: Resource Conservation and Utilization, a BSc degree in Geography and Operational Research, Honours in Geography from UNISA and a master’s in environmental studies from the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Hsien is an experienced ESG and Assurance Analyst (7+ years) and has conducted numerous ESG due diligences, developed and implemented Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS) for a broad range of private equity clients across a variety of sectors – which includes compliance with the IFC standards, ILO Conventions, WHO guidelines, the Equator Principles, UNPRI – Principles for Responsible Investment, ISO (14001, 9001 and OHSAS 18001) standards, Mining Charter and other appropriate International Best Practice standards as well as the Environmental, Social and Governance Legislation of local specific countries. She holds an Honours degree in Environmental Management and has submitted her MSc Dissertation in Environmental Management with UNISA.

Sunday has almost three decades experience working in the mining industry. Over twenty years were spent working in the DMRE of which for seven years Sunday served as a Regional Manager (3 years in the Northern Cape and 4 years in Gauteng). He acquired a Graduate Diploma in Engineering: Mining from the University of the Witwatersrand and has recently completed an MBA degree with Milpark Business School. Sunday is the founder and CEO of Vahlengwe Mining Advisory and Consultancy. He is a member of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) and is a registered Professional Natural Scientist with SACNASP.

Chairperson of the Board of the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA)

Chief Directorate - Integrated Environmental Authorisations

Gina Martin has a BSc (Honours) in Geography (with an Environmental Management focus) from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has been working at Jones & Wagener (Pty) Ltd Engineering & Environmental Consultants since 2012, where she is an Environmental Scientist in the Environmental Management Division. She has experience in various sectors of Environmental Management and currently specialises in managing and conducting Basic Assessments (BAs), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental Management Programmes (EMPrs), Integrated Water Use Licence Applications (IWULAs), General Authorisation (GA) Applications, Site Selections, Environmental Control Officer (ECO) work, Waste Management Licence Applications (WMLA) and Environmental Audits for companies in the mining, construction, chemical, power generation and waste management industries. Gina is a registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) through EAPASA and is also an EAPASA Assessor.

Dr Steven Mathetsa is a Senior Research Scientist at Eskom SOC’s Research, Testing and Development section. In his 17 years’ experience in the environmental field, he has occupied various positions within the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Sappi Pulp and Paper, and Anglo America Coal South Africa. He has gained experience within both the legal and operational framework of environmental management. Although he has an understanding and experience in most environmental aspects such as waste and air quality management, his interest lies mostly in sustainable development, energy, water resource management, and climate change. Dr Mathetsa completed his PhD in Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand with his research topic included, exploring the “intertwined relationship between water, energy and climate change within the discourse of Integrated Water Resource Management in South Africa”. His work was presented at virtual conferences and published in peer-reviewed papers.

Babalwa is a qualified Scientist currently pursuing a Masters in Management Energy Leadership. She holds a Masters in Development Studies, a BSc Honours Energy Studies, a BSc Environmental Law, a B-Tech Degree Quality and a National Diploma Analytical Chemistry. She has Seventeen (17) years track record working within the Energy sector. Her career started at City Power (City of Johannesburg Municipality) in 2004 as a Laboratory Technician and Environmental Specialist. After 9 years being at City Power, she then worked for the national government the Department of Energy for 2 years as a Deputy Director Renewable Energy Initiatives. In 2014 she was appointed by the Northern Cape Premiers Office as a Director-Renewable Energy Specialist. The project she was appointed for, which was Northern Cape SEZ, was transferred to the Provincial agency, Northern Cape Economic Development Trade, and Investment Promotion Agency (NCEDA) in 2015. She has been with the Northern Cape Province for 7 years and responsible for Renewable Energy inward and outward investment promotion. She has international experience started at the Department of Energy when she represented the country in Clean Energy Ministerial planning meetings in Mexico in 2013 and 2014, the SADC region planning for SACREE in Botswana and being part of the SAGEN programme in Germany in 2013. Since she has promoted the country in different missions such as Hong Kong, Dubai and China.

Dr Molelekwa is the founder of Gomotsegang Consultancy, a company that provides professional services in the fields of health and environment. Fred is a Research and Innovation Associate at TUT in the Faculty of Science. He has extensive experience in Environmental Health (Public Health), Environmental Management and Membrane Technology. He worked for both the public and private sector, including the United Nations’ Basel Convention Regional Training Centre, focusing on Hazardous Waste Management Training in Africa. He lectured various courses, including Epidemiology, Water, Air Quality and Waste Management at TUT. He has been involved in community education and awareness raising programmes in collaboration with various municipalities and private sector companies. He is currently giving health talks once a week on Motsweding FM about COVID-19 related matters. Dr Molelekwa is an experienced project manager including, but not limited to, the following: (1) Research on Waste Minimization Approach: International and Local Case Studies in preparation of South Africa’s National Waste Management Strategy (2018); (2) Improvement of activity data in the solid waste disposal, incineration and open-burning of waste for the period 2000 – 2017 in preparation for South Africa’s GHG emissions Inventory-GIZ (2019); (3) Economic Assessment and Development of Funding Model for the delivery of Municipal Health Services in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Gert Sibande District Municipality and Pixley ka Seme District Municipality (2019); (4) Conducting Research Capacity Building Workshop for the officials of the Department of Higher Education & Training (2020). He has supervised research projects for postgraduate and wrote book chapters, published his research work in peer reviewed journals and presented at local and international conferences. Dr Molelekwa has two patents to his name, the first is the method for the development of low-cost membranes from plastic waste for the purification of drinking water in small rural communities; and the second is the technology for energy efficiency at household, industrial and municipal level. He is currently involved in the production of low cost and environmentally friendly briquettes from waste biomass to fulfil the energy needs of low-income communities, while at the same time addressing the challenges of waste management, especially at municipal level.

Jurie is an Environmental Management Specialist at the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom. He is currently busy with his PhD in Water Governance. His areas of specialisation include: Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Management Plans, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and EMS auditing. He is a SAATCA-registered auditor and a Candidate Natural Scientist registered with SACNASP. Jurie’s interests include biking, birding, and hiking.

Lynette Munro has a background in botany and environmental management. Working at the Environmental Evaluation Unit (UCT), she explored EIA and development planning, co-management, and capacity building for sustainable development. She is now employed as a Conservation Partnership Facilitator with the Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET). Here she aims to secure resources for conservation. She works with Dalton Gibbs and Anthony Roberts, who are the visionaries behind this model.

Desmond is a member in good standing of both IAIA and IAIAsa. At IAIAsa, he served in various positions such as in the NEC and as Branch Chairperson for the Limpopo Branch. He just completed his PhD at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He also holds a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) from the UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership. He is currently the Deputy Chairperson of EAPASA, where he serves in various committees, served as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, Chair of the Registrations Committee. He is a SACNASP Council member since 2015, where he is also a member of the Environmental Sciences Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), amongst other committees. He is also attached to the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) Central Branch. He is currently also attached to the South African Wetlands Society as a Board Member. A former lecturer from both the University of Venda and the University of Limpopo. Director and Senior Environmental Scientist at Naledzi Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd, since 2003.

Victoria has more than 12 years’ experience as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) Project Manager, with over 15 years as an EAP. She is highly experienced in managing large multi-disciplinary project teams for various types of environmental assessments and has often been described by colleagues and clients as having specialist project management skills. In addition, she has experience in training and skills transfer within the environmental management field. Victoria is a Registered Professional Natural Scientist with SACNASP (400215/09).

Jules is at heart a social entrepreneur. After founding and building Avocado Vision for 22 years, she has now taken on the role as Programme Director for the Green Business Value Chain, run in partnership with the Department of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. She brings together her decades of experience in small business and supplier development, innovative community education solutions, and a passion for connecting informal and formal economies to the new role. The Green Business Value Chain seeks to catalyse South African society towards integrated approaches to building rural and urban economies in the green sector. Corporate imagination and innovation are necessary to create the market links to enable rural economies to thrive, and to create the conditions under which the rivers we all depend on can begin to flow again.

Karen in a senior researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa, where she works as an Environmental Anthropologist. She brings socio-economic and socio-cultural insights to the oftentimes technical challenges that her interdisciplinary team works on. She has twenty years’ experience working as an Anthropologist. This has afforded her the opportunity to engage with stakeholder groups, in particular communities, relying on local knowledges to help understand and solve environmental, socio-cultural and development issues. She has conducted fieldwork throughout South Africa, as well as, amongst others, in Mozambique, India, Cost Rica, Vietnam and the USA. Karen also has experience in teaching and developing anthropology related course work. She has further published numerous peer reviewed articles, book chapters and edited books, both locally and internationally. She received her BA, BA Hons and MA with distinction in Anthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), and her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Her PhD examined the manner in which scarcity of natural resources is socially constructed to go beyond the conventional and current dominant framings of natural resource scarcity. It advocated the interrogation of the intuitive metaphors, frameworks of explanation, socio-political processes, worldviews and epistemologies within which narratives of scarcity are constructed and produced.

Mlungele is a Researcher at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Research Associate at the Centre for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University, and is a Research Fellow at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Mlungele has broad interests in plant invasions and ecological restoration. His current work focusses on the detection of new invasive species, eradication of invasive species limited to small areas, risk analysis for alien and invasive species, and restoration of native ecosystems in previously invaded areas

Ntunzi is an EAPASA registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner at AGES Omega (Pty) Ltd. She is also registered as an Environmental Scientist with SACNASP. Ntunzi holds a MSc (Zoology) from UFH and a Master of Environmental Management Degree from UFS.

Sean O’Beirne is an environmental consultant and has worked in the field for some 27 years. Sean began his career at the CSIR, where he did a masters in radar rainfall measurement before a sea change in his career saw him move into the emerging field of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Sean also benefitted from early exposure to post EIA implementation when he was seconded to the Hillside Smelter project as today’s equivalent of an environmental control officer. Sean started his own consulting company in 2000 and that is where he has been ever since. In 2003 he started working in Russia in combination with two Moscow based consultancies and has been lucky enough to travel to and work in many of the regions in that remarkable country with his most recent trip being to Chukotka where is completing an ESIA for a proposed copper mine. Sean has played a role in many of South Africa’s large scale infrastructure projects including Gautrain, Medupi, Kusile and Ingula, Nuclear 1, the AMD project, several bulk water projects, a number of production increases at Sasol Secunda and others. He has also worked on a number of aluminium smelter projects in the Middle East in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. For the last 5 years Sean has been a short-term consultant (STC) to the IFC and works in that capacity on public private partnership projects as well as a range of other direct investment projects across Africa.

Mike O’Kane founded Okane Consultants (Okane) in 1996, a company providing integrated mine planning and closure outcomes to the mining industry internationally. Mike continues to work with Okane as a senior technical advisor, using his wide-ranging technical expertise and knowledge on risk management best practices as tools for development and communication of project objectives and designs. He utilizes a life of asset value framework that incorporates evaluation for optimizing the “best” next land use with an acceptable level of residual risk while maximizing incremental net present value and achieving progressive ESG outcomes. Mike provides independent peer review to mine operators and owners, as well as State, Territorial, Provincial, and Federal government agencies, and is a member of several closure planning and/or technical advisory panels. Mike is the lead author on numerous documents pertaining to cover system and landform design, implementation, and performance monitoring. Mike provides landform and cover system design workshops / short courses at leading mine waste management conferences around the world. Mike is a subject matter expert on the application of unsaturated zone hydrology and geochemistry for mine waste management. Mike is a director of the Landform Design Institute and chair of its Technical Advisory Panel. In 2014 Mike received the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Achievement Award in 2014 for “Global Development of his Business and Corporation, and Philanthropy”.

Inba Pillay is a registered Professional Scientist with SACNASP. She holds a BSc Environmental Management, a BSc Hons Environmental Monitoring and Modelling and is currently completing a Masters in Sustainable Development with the University of Sussex (UK). Her environmental career spans over 17 years stemming from the environmental consultancy industry and developing into the corporate sector. She is currently a Senior Environmental Advisor at Eskom Holdings, Corporate Risk and Sustainability Division. She is passionate about integrating environmental and sustainability principles into business supply chains. Coupled with that is her drive to support people to get to their “aha moment” or “lightbulb moment” on environmental management through appropriate education, awareness and training. Her two energetic young boys, a tabby cat, a Golden Retriever and starting up her own vegetable garden, further fulfill her time.

Cecilia recently obtained her MSc in Environmental Management at UNISA, with her dissertation titled: “Measuring Stakeholder Perceptions of Responsible Tourism Development in SANParks: Learning from the Kruger National Park”. She is currently working at the Sustainability and Climate Change division within Pricewaterhouse Coopers (since June 2019), where she mainly works on projects involving mine closure reviews and assurance of sustainability indicators (such as health, safety, and environmental indicators). She has a total of 3 years’ experience in the Environmental Management field.

Lisl Pullinger has 20 years’ experience in the field of stakeholder communication and community development. Her core expertise lies in development policy, strategy and designing programs, digital stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management, asset-based community development as well as social and human rights due diligence and auditing. Lisl has worked extensively in the African mining environment and has a thorough understanding of how social license to operate can influence operations and projects. She has deep insight into sustainability requirements across disciplines and how it collates into developing and maintaining sustainable frameworks for projects and operations. She also has experience in developing in-migration management plans for large mining projects and leading experts to develop sustainable town development concept plans for rural mining communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lisl has worked in designing and implementing social engagement and development programs in the mining sector in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Recently Lisl was involved in implementing social and environmental safeguards in small-scale projects across the SADC region and formulating a new SADC groundwater management program based on lessons learned from previous projects. Lisl is adept at gender focused supply chain analysis and support as well as supporting clients to apply for development finance and / or support.

Samantha Ralston-Paton (Sam) is BirdLife South Africa’s Birds and Renewable Energy Project Manager, a position Investec Corporate and Institutional Banking has sponsored since its inception in 2012. Sam works with consulting bird specialists, ornithologists, environmental assessment practitioners, government, and the renewable energy industry to help ensure that the impacts of renewable energy on birds and their habitats are understood and minimised. She has an MSc degree in Conservation Biology and over 15 years’ experience in the field of integrated environmental management. Sam is passionate about environmental sustainability, and enjoys challenging herself, and other people to have a more positive impact on the planet.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP)

Tiisetso John Rantlo is a Doctoral (LLD) candidate at the North-West University in the Faculty of Law. Tiisetso obtained his LLB degree at the National University of Lesotho. He was admitted as an advocate of the Courts of Lesotho and practiced as such for some time. Tiisetso also obtained his LLM in Environmental Law and Governance in 2015 at the North-West University. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis focusing on Environmental Authorisations in South Africa.

Traffic and transport pressures are problematic for three main reasons: they stifle economic growth, contribute to higher carbon emissions, and inconvenience millions of people. Together with public and private clients, Ivan helps to relieve these pressures in our ever-expanding cities, through sustainable development and innovation.In Ivan’s preceding position as Director in South Africa & Botswana at Royal HaskoningDHV, he led teams of smart people to design robust and integrated transport networks and mobility nodes to improve urban movement. Ivan approaches every project with dynamic thinking, sustained focus, and financial and business acumen. This has allowed Ivan to strive in his current role as a Leading Professional with Foresight & Innovation focus. Ivan has completed successful projects in South Africa, Botswana, Australia, and the USA; has published in various technical magazines, including SAICE, Engineering News, and Thinking Highways; and is registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE). Ivan enjoys mountain biking and diving. He is voted father of the year, every year, by my two kids, Miamae and Jayden.

Danielle is an independent consultant with over thirteen years’ experience in environmental and social assessment and management in southern Africa. Her experience includes specialist work in social and socio-economic impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, and environmental project management. Danielle has worked in a variety of sectors including oil and gas, renewable energy, mining, industrial, infrastructure, and waste management.

Paul Scherzer has worked for 23 years in the fields of rural development, agricultural food security, impact assessment, and monitoring and evaluation. He has a MA in Food, Society and International Food Governance (specializing in Food Security, Food Systems Assessment, and Impact Assessment of Development Projects) and a BSc (Agriculture). He has worked on projects throughout South Africa and in seven other Southern and Central African countries. His experience ranges from the practical implementation of livelihood development projects, teaching nutrition and climate-smart agricultural principles out in a community plot, to monitoring and evaluating programme data and results, through to spatially assessing land-use changes, environmental and socio-economic project impacts. He was previously requested by the UN Conference on Trade and Development to peer review three papers, namely those on ‘Water Access’, ‘Enhancing Food Security and Nutrition’ and ‘Alternative Business Models’, being prepared to support and guide governments on responsible agricultural development. He operates as an independent consultant and is director of E&D Consulting Services.

Yolandi Schoeman is a globally recognized Ecological Engineer and Sustainability Specialist. She has innovated and contributed to world-class products and services in ecological engineering, the circular economy and sustainability, specifically in the USA, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Africa. Her track record includes developing global innovations, delivering sustainability service excellence, and building networks that continue to play a critical role in advancing planetary health. She also specializes in water-energy-food nexus accounting and deciphering coupled human and natural systems.

Greg works at the CSIR in Stellenbosch as a Sustainability Scientist. His work mainly focuses on the development of novel approaches for thinking about and doing integrated, multi-disciplinary assessments to support good decision-making.

Liandra joined SLR in March 2021 in her capacity as Senior Environmental Consultant and has over 8 years’ experience as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner within the environmental consulting field. She has degrees in Biological and Ecological Science and has expertise in a wide range of environmental disciplines, including Environmental Impact Assessments, Environmental Management Programmes, Environmental Compliance Monitoring & Auditing and Vegetation Assessments and Diatom Biomonitoring.
She has been responsible for the management of a wide range of projects, including environmental authorisations, compliance monitoring and auditing, vegetation assessments and permitting and diatom biomonitoring.
Over the last few years Liandra’s focus has been in the renewable energy sector. Specifically involved with Environmental Impact Assessments and specialist management for the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement and Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programmes (RMIPPPP and REIPPPP).

A dedicated professional with ±20 years combined experience as an environmental management professional in both the private and public sector. Milicent is a Director at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment where she specializes in the review and processing of applications for environmental authorisations for mega infrastructure development projects. Some of the key reviews Milicent was responsible for include the Nuclear 1 and N2 Wild Coast applications as well as numerous renewable energy applications. She considers her job crucial to ensure that government as well as private sector complies with relevant environmental legislation and associated requirements. However, it is important that sustainable development is not hindered in the process, and she strives to find solutions to environmental challenges as part of her duties as an environmental manager.

Kathy holds a MSc degree in Resource Conservation Biology from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a wetland ecologist and environmental scientist working at Jones & Wagener Engineering and Environmental Consultants. Kathy has been practising in her field for over 20 years. She is a SACNASP registered ecologist and environmental scientist and is also on the board of trustees of the South African Wetland Society.

Kevin is the General Manager at NUS Consulting Group in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has worked within the global energy, carbon, and water consulting space with 21 plus years’ experience in the UK, EU, US and SA/Africa. He has worked for leading consultancies in both the energy (Accenture UK) and sustainability (ERM SA) sectors. His experience spans the development and integrating of energy efficiency, water risk and carbon compliance strategies. He aligns GHG (greenhouse gas) corporate inventories including best practice approaches to offset and energy attribute certificates in achieving carbon zero/neutrality objectives. He also provides 3rd party data assurance of emissions reporting in the voluntary and mandatory carbon reporting schemes. He has worked with a number of Global 500, FTSE 350 and JSE 100 listed companies across many sectors (NGO’s, ITC, Water & Waste Water Utilities, Retail, Cement, Industrial, Mining & Pharmaceutical sectors). He serves as the Chairperson of the SANAS Special Technical Committee (STC) on Energy Management (ISO50003) and Carbon Reporting (ISO14065) for SANAS (South African National Accreditation Services). He has developed training material as a technical committee member for the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC) for the Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production Expert training course. He is a Lead Auditor for ISO 50001, UNIDO/NCPC Energy Expert & trainer, Lead Technical Assessor for SANAS for ISO50001, 14065, 14001; Canadian Standards Association certified ISO14064-2 & 3 trained, AEE Certified Carbon Manager.

As an Environmental Consultant with a passion for sustainable development and policy, Lara chooses to make her contribution to a healthier environment every day. After completing her MSc in the Netherlands, learning about enviro-social policy frameworks through a European and multi-governance perspective, she finds herself as an Environmental Scientist working in the energy, waste, mining and civil engineering industries in the South African context. She is also a registered candidate EAP with EAPASA.

Dr Gabi Teren is the manager of the National Biodiversity and Business Network (NBBN) at the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). The NBBN works with forward-thinking businesses to understand their dependencies and impacts on biodiversity. Through partnering with companies to mainstream biodiversity, the NBBN aims to discover opportunities that support both the bottom-line and the planet. Gabi is a terrestrial systems ecologist and holds a PhD in Biodiversity from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Her academic research focused on how wildlife, vegetation and people interact over long different scales.

Marthán holds a BA LLB from the University of Cape Town and an LLM in Environmental Law from the Universiry of Cape Town. Before joining the law reform directorate at Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, he was a legal specialist (biodiversity and ecological infrastructure) at SANBI. He is particularly interested in biodiversity law and policy.

Mr Harry Thema is employed at Statistics South Africa as the Chief Director in the South African National Statistics System (SANSS) branch. He is responsible for coordinating the production of statistics in the economic and social statistics subsystem. He has been working for Statistics South Africa for the past 21 years, in different divisions.

Rebecca joined Mainstream in 2016 and is responsible for full project development from early identification of potential renewable energy projects, and pursuing them through to point of construction, the key aspects being identifying and securing suitable quantities of high potential land and obtaining all necessary permits and approvals. Maintaining environmental and social responsibility and integrity while managing the intricacies of the development process are important values to Rebecca. Previously Rebecca practised as an Environmental Consultant for over 10 years, largely involved in the energy sector. Rebecca has completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Wits Business School and is currently servicing as Vice Chair on the SAWEA EnvironmentalWorking Group.

Janice has been practicing as an environmental attorney since 2013 and has a unique skill set in both environmental management and law. She initially trained in zoology, botany, ecology, and environmental management, and worked as an environmental consultant, facilitator, and environmental impact assessment (EIA) practitioner for many years before pursuing a career as an environmental lawyer. She is a director and co-founder of the newly established law clinic ALL RISE Attorneys for Climate and Environmental Justice, working pro bono for communities who cannot afford legal services.

Dr Wells Utembe has a PhD in Public Health from the University of the Witwatersrand, focusing on human and environmental risk assessment. His main areas of work include environmental health, regulatory toxicology and the assessment of risks that may emanate from human and environmental exposure to chemicals. He has been involved in many research projects and consultancies in environmental health sciences, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and risk assessment of chemicals where he has published several peer-reviewed articles. Furthermore, Wells has the requisite training and experience to conduct basic and full EIA, Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Strategic Impact Assessment (SEA) in Malawi, South Africa, and other countries. Wells has over ten years’ experience in lecturing and curricula development as well as supervision and examination of students at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Michael joined SLR Consultancy as a Senior Climate Change Specialist for the Advisory team in 2021. This team provides Advisory advice on Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and transactions. He is a climate change specialist with over 13 years consulting experience in South Africa and several other African countries, including Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, and Uganda. To date, Michael has worked on several climate change risk assessments, climate change strategies, and Green House Gas (GHG) inventories or carbon footprints. He has experience in a wide range of sectors, including local government, mining, oil & gas, manufacturing, and industry. He has a strong working knowledge of local and international climate-related legislation, regulations, conventions, and agreements. He also has specific experience in conducting energy audits and applying resource efficient and cleaner production (“RECP”) methodologies. In the last 13 years, Michael has undertaken several ESIAs, EIAs, and BAs. He also has experience in environmental auditing, solid and hazardous waste management, strategic environmental planning, and ecosystem services.

Francini holds a MSc degree in Environmental Management cum laude (North-West University, South Africa) and an MBA in Sustainability Management summa cum laude from the Sustainability Management School, Switzerland. Francini is an environmental and sustainability management professional with fifteen years’ experience across private and public sectors, including project and strategic level implementation of sustainable development. Currently as Sustainability Coordinator within the Western Cape Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, she heads up sustainability integration through environmental implementation planning, mainstreaming programmes and State of Environment tracking and reporting. Francini’s research interests lie at the economy-environment interface and in the context of interlinked environmental and economic crises, and how policies and practice can respond in sustainable ways.

Amelia Visagie is an Associate in the Communication and Stakeholder Engagement unit at Zutari and is based in Cape Town. She is responsible for Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), Socio-economic development, enterprise development (ED) of the company’s approach to socio-economic development. This work seeks to position Zutari as a differentiator in the market when enrolling in engineering projects across Africa. Amelia is an accredited assessor and facilitator with a national qualification in Adventure-related Experiential Learning (AEL); a Public Participation and stakeholder management facilitator, Professional Coach; Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator and Neurolinguistics Practitioner, and Asset Based Community Development specialist. Her skills include project management, curriculum development, training and facilitation skills, and negotiation skills. ABCD approach which Amelia initiated in all projects, is a key element of the company’s sustainable development programmes. Amelia holds a BCom (Hons) degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of South Africa (UNISA). She is the founder member of Chameleon Performance Improvers, a training, and development company. She is registered at the International Association for Impact Assessment in South Africa (IAIAsa). In August 2017 she presented a paper at the IAIAsa Conference on innovative solutions for persistent social problems. She delivered a paper at the 2018 IAIAsa Conference on the topic of inspiring integrated environmental management: Crafting innovative solutions to persistent environmental and social problems through Asset Based Community Development (ABCD). Furthermore, she served on the African Board and was the treasurer of the International Association of Public Participation (I&AP2). She is also the winner of five International Awards for her sustainable approach to community development. Before joining Zutari Amelia was in various community research and development initiatives as well as public participation projects. This portfolio has expanded to include stakeholder engagement strategies, sustainable socio-economic development, and enterprise development initiatives that stretch from tender phase right through to implementation and exit phases. Her goal is to ensure that these initiatives are both interactive and co-creative. She strongly believes that stakeholder engagement and communication between role players are the glue of any project and is the differentiator that sets great projects apart.

Caroline is systems ecologist and environmental scientist with both academic training and practical experience. She has an M.Sc. degree in Environmental Science and is a SACNASP registered Professional Natural Scientist in Ecological Science, with over eight years’ experience in the Environmental Impact Assessment industry. Caroline has worked with inter-disciplinary teams to assess the social, economic, and environmental aspects and impacts of projects from rural developments & large-scale mining to restoration and conservation. She gained an understanding of the deep complexity around sustainable development within the Anthropocene and has therefore become particularly passionate about social-ecological systems, resilience and complexity thinking for managing and conserving our natural and cultural worlds.

Bryony Walmsley has 41 years' experience as an environmental assessment practitioner. She is the Director of the South African Office of the Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment and is also a Director of IAIA international. She has worked extensively throughout sub-Saharan Africa and currently focuses on capacity building and training, independent review, due diligence and auditing and she has written several handbooks, manuals, and guidelines.

Catherine Warburton established Warburton Attorneys in the year 2000 and the firm celebrated its 20th year of operation last year. Catherine has acted as the Managing Partner of Warburton Attorneys since inception and the Managing Director of Warburton Attorneys Inc from 1 March 2020. (See www.warburtons.co.za.)
Catherine has more than twenty years of practical experience in the relatively new field of sustainability law in South Africa. Her experience has been mainly developed across a broad spectrum of infrastructure development and mining projects. She has also assisted NGO groups and government with legal advice and has provided input into governmental policy development in South Africa. Catherine was involved in the environmental legal aspects of the Gautrain Project as specialist advisor from 2002 to 2016 and has advised on a number of development projects and climate and energy related projects.
Whilst working as in-house Environmental Legal Counsel for Anglo American she completed a two and a half year international sustainable development training programme in 2001 entitled LEAD i.e. Leadership for the Environment and Development. In 2012 Catherine completed a Sustainability Reporting Course, certified by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In 2013 she completed the GRI Certified Course based on the G4 reporting guidelines. Catherine completed her dissertation for her Master of Laws at Wits University in 2014 with distinction. The title of her dissertation was, “Evaluating South African EIA processes in the context of the Gautrain Project”.
Catherine has developed specific expertise in the area of climate change. She has attended UNFCCC meetings as a South African business representative and has worked on greenhouse gas mitigation and reporting projects in South Africa. She presents papers and training courses on a wide range of sustainability legal issues in South Africa. She provides strategic legal advice at the Board level, is currently advising on a number of mine closure projects and is acting in a large corporate criminal environmental prosecution.

Vanessa’s career commenced as a horticulturist and as a landscape designer and contractor. When the first Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations were promulgated in South Africa in 1997, she transitioned into environmental planning and impact assessment work. This led to her completing her MSc in Environment and Development at the University of Natal in 2002. After gaining environmental impact assessment experience for several years, Vanessa commenced a PhD in 2013 at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. She later transferred this to the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where her PhD was conferred in 2020. Vanessa specialises in sustainable futures research: environmental, minerals, agriculture, degraded land rehabilitation, risk assessment and integrated environmental modelling.

Barry is a Green Star SA Accredited Professional in South Africa with extensive site experience working as an Environmental Control Officer (ECO) at major construction sites and has experience in compiling Environmental Audits, EIAs, BARs and EMPrs.

Kevan has thirty-five years of experience in the field of conservation and environmental management and holds an MSc Environmental Science from the University of Cape Town. He is a member of the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the South African chapter of the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIAsa) and the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA). He also serves on the Executive Committee of the WCPA’s Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group as the Chair. His career began in the forestry industry where he was responsible for compiling conservation plans for plantations that were then under the control of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in the erstwhile Eastern Transvaal. He later joined the Transvaal Provincial Directorate of Nature Conservation where he was involved in flora conservation planning. He was promoted to head up the team of regional ecologists and their technical staff until 1994 where he played an active role in the establishment of the Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB). Here he filled the position of General Manager: Research and Development. After politically motivated restructuring resulted in his departure from the MPB he took up a five-year contract with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to coordinate the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Project. He was then approached by a multi-national consulting company where he served as a senior ecologist and sustainability consultant for two years, after which he and his wife established their Zunckel Ecological & Environmental Services partnership which has been in operation since 2010.

Dr Angela van der Berg is the Acting Director of the newly established Global Environmental Law Centre (GELC) at the University of the Western Cape, Faculty of Law. She holds this position with the position of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Law and Jurisprudence where she runs and teaches in the LLM (masters) in Environmental Law. Before joining UWC in March 2021, Angela was appointed as Assistant Professor: International Justice and Global Challenges at Leiden University, Netherlands. Angela obtained a joint PhD in Law and Development in December 2019 with Tilburg University, Netherlands, and the North-West University, South Africa. Her PhD research concerned the Role of Municipal Planning Law and Policy in the Pursuit of SDG 11 (sustainable cities) in the South African context. Her current research pertains to climate law and governance in cities, and comparative constitutional law and nature.

Amrei is an ecologist working on biodiversity conservation, risk and impact assessment and application of the mitigation hierarchy including biodiversity offsets/ ecological compensation. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town. Between 2009 and 2019 Amrei was Science Lead for the international multi-stakeholder Business and Biodiversity Offset Programme (BBOP), hosted by Forest Trends. She led the scientific development of BBOP’s widely regarded work on best practice in the mitigation hierarchy and achieving no net loss (NNL) of biodiversity or a net gain (NG). To ground this in practical experiences, she has worked closely with private and public sector development projects (e.g., infrastructure, mining), and with lenders and policy makers across the world. Amrei continues offering independent specialist advice in this field, working across policy and practice.