Speaker
Description
In rapidly growing cities of the Global South, the degradation of biodiversity and the breakdown of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure form a vicious cycle that threatens both public health and ecological resilience. In Bukavu (DRC), anthropogenic pressure on the Lake Kivu watershed exacerbates soil erosion, destroys aquatic habitats, and amplifies waterborne disease crises such as cholera.
This contribution, led by the Anansoft Foundation, demonstrates how integrated WASH management can restore urban ecosystem functions in the face of climate disturbances. By combining community-based water governance with ecological forecasting, our interventions analyze the role of urban wetlands as nature-based solutions. Restoring local plant biodiversity acts as a critical biophysical barrier, filtering runoff and stabilizing slopes against landslides.
Our results prove that implementing WASH infrastructure in harmony with ecosystem dynamics simultaneously improves community health security and environmental resistance. By aligning public health indicators with biodiversity conservation, this project provides an operational model for iDiv’s core theme: “Biodiversity and Human Well-Being”. It delivers a concrete case study from Bukavu on how sustainable water resource management fosters a cohabitation where human well-being intrinsically depends on the resilience of nature.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
|---|---|
| FOR TALKS: Poster Presentation Option | Yes, I’m willing to present as a poster. |