Welcome to a seminar hosted by University of Helsinki and Taita Taveta University presenting the approaches and results from SMARTLAND project funded by Development Research Programme of the Academy of Finland and TAITAGIS project funded by Board of Education of Finland.
Highlights of success stories from Taita Research Station of the University of Helsinki are presented as well as premier night of Plant Treasures of the Taita Hills, a short-film on plant life in the Taita Hills.
Please register at: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/99358/lomake.html by September 24.
Program: Tuesday October 1, 2019
9.30 Registration and coffee
10.15 Opening Session, Chair Petri Pellikka
Opening
Tom Böhling, Vice Rector, University of Helsinki
10.25 Greetings
Christine Onyango, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Taita Taveta University, Kenya
Annika Sundbäck-Lindroos, Leader, Global team, Finnish National Agency for Education
Martti Eirola, Advisor, African politics, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Kaarle Hämeri, Chancellor, University of Helsinki
11.00 Session 1: SMARTLAND and TAITAGIS, Session Chair Antti Autio
Petri Pellikka, Department of Geography and Geosciences / INAR: Aims and current activities of Taita Research Station and SMARTLAND project
Lucas Mwangala, & Mika Siljander, Taita Taveta University: Improving capacity, quality and access of Geoinformatics teaching, research and daily use in Taita Taveta, Kenya
Laura Alakukku, Pirjo Mäkelä & Juuso Tuure, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: Developing water-smart agronomy by means of participatory research
Marianne Maghenda, Taita Taveta University: Healing the Taita Hills through research and transformative agricultural education for sustainable community development
12.00 Lunch (at own cost)
12.45 Session 2: Carbon and land cover, Session Chair Mika Siljander
Matti Räsänen & Timo Vesala, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR): Carbon and water flux research in SMARTLAND
James Mwangombe Mwamodenyi, Kenya Forest Service: Carbon compensation as a solution for forest conservation in Taita Hills
H. Adhikari, E. Amara, P. Pellikka & J. Heiskanen, Department of Geography and Geosciences / INAR: Aboveground biomass distribution and forest structure in the Taita Hills
Sheila Wachiye, Lutz Merbold & Petri Pellikka, Department of Geography and Geosciences / INAR, International Livestock Research Institute: Greenhouse gas emissions from land uses in Taita Taveta
Temesgen Abera & Eduardo Maeda, Department of Geography and Geosciences / INAR: Role of bushland loss on regional climate in Africa
Yang Liu & Simon Schallhart, Department of Geography and Geosciences / INAR, Finnish Meteorological Institute: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in various land cover types in Taita Taveta
Werner Kutsch, International Carbon Observation System: Carbon fluxes in African landscape
Toni Laine & Jouko Rikkinen, Finnish Museum of Natural History: Plant Treasures of the Taita Hills (documentary film)
14.45 Coffee
15.00 Session 3, Agriculture and wildlife, Session Chair Petri Pellikka
Antti Autio & Tino Johansson, Department of Geography and Geosciences, International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology: Gendered prioritization of climate smart agriculture practices in Taita Taveta
Kristiina Karhu & Kevin Mganga, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: Soil microbes and carbon use efficiency in Taita Hills
Risto Vesala, Jouko Rikkinen & Laura Arppe, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Finnish Museum of Natural History: Termites in the Taita Taveta County
Hanna Rosti & Jouko Rikkinen, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences: Unknown mammals in the forests of the Taita Hills
Martha Nzisa & Mika Siljander, Kenya Wildlife Service, Department of Geography and Geosciences: A spatio-temporal analysis of human wildlife conflicts in Taita Taveta
Enrico di Minin, Department of Geography and Geosciences: Social media in illegal wildlife trade research in Africa
Nashon Adero, Taita Taveta University: Earth observation and dynamic simulation model of Taita-Taveta’s changing mining environment under competing land use and population growth
Joseph Ogola, University of Nairobi & Olli Vapalahti, Faculty of Medicine/Faculty of Veterinary Sciences: New ebolavirus in Angolan free-tailed bats in Kenya
Justin Maghanga, Taita Taveta University: Application of electrochemistry in textile wastewater treatment in Kenya
17.00 Final words
Dean Kai Nordlund, Faculty of Science