04 MAY 2026 (MON) 10:00-11:00

2 hours ago
2 min read

Geography Distinguished Seminars Series

How can sustainable land use, ecosystem protection and restoration help to meet global climate and biodiversity goals?

Date: 04 MAY 2026 (Monday)

Time: 10:00-11:00 (HKT)

Venue: Chamber, Faculty of Social Sciences, 11/F, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

Mode: Hybrid

Via Zoom: Zoom link will be provided upon successful registration

Registration link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=106262

Abstract:

Our research addresses three overarching questions: the nature of future climate related risks to ecosystems and societies, the potential of land based and nature based strategies to reduce these risks, and the feasibility of upscaling such strategies while managing trade offs with broader sustainable development objectives. The first two questions are examined using Real-world Lab approaches through transdisciplinary research conducted in the regional Hubs of the Wyss Academy for Nature. To assess the third question, we test the implications of scaling land use and restoration strategies to regional and global levels in particular using Earth System Models. Our work highlights the importance of climate mitigation and sustainable land use, complemented by ecosystem protection and restoration, in achieveing global climate and biodiversity targets.

Professor Edouard Davin

Professor of Climate Scenarios for Sustainable Development, Wyss Academy for Nature

Prof. Dr. Edouard Davin is a climate scientist studying the interactions between the terrestrial biosphere, land use and climate. He has extensive experience in both global and regional climate modelling and a core area of his work has been to integrate the impact of land use change in past and future climate scenarios. Ultimately, his work aims to demonstrate the key role of land use and land management in the transformation toward sustainable futures. He served as a Lead Author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land. Prof. Dr. Edouard Davin leads the research team on Climate Scenarios for Sustainable Development at the Wyss Academy for Nature and his professorship is affiliated with the Climate and Environmental Physics Institute and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Bern.