Mapfori Ephias Mugari
Dr. Ephias Mugari is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the South Africa/Flanders Climate Adaptation Research and Training Partnership (SAF-ADAPT) project at the University of Venda, South Africa where he engages with officials in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and Disaster Management Office to enhance ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and resilience at various scales. Ephias’ PhD examined the barriers and enablers to Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the semi-arid Limpopo Basin part of Botswana and within the Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) Project, a collaborative research effort in Africa and India (2014-2019). He contributed to several stakeholder engagements in Botswana within the ASSAR project, including the Transformative Scenario Planning (TSP) and Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA) Training Workshops aimed at influencing participation in the national development planning and governance processes. His current research aims to promote the role of nature-based solutions in advancing sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods and identifying sustainable, effective, and scalable adaptation strategies. His research interests are in transdisciplinary research, knowledge co-production, climate change adaptation, nature-based solutions, sustainable development, climate-smart agriculture, and water governance.
