Speakers

Speech Title : Discovering the aesthetics of cultural landscapes almost forgotten in the time and space compression of the globalized society (on the genesis of the Stone Trail (Szlak Kamienia) – the Czech and Polish educational trail project)

Tomas Hajek is a member of Association of Writers of the CR, Sexological Society of J.E.P. Czech Medical Society, International Association of Landscape Archaeology, Associazione internazionale mosaicisti contemporanei, Economic and Social Council of the Most Region, and the Czech Glass Society. His author theatre work is represented by the Dilia agency. He is a Founding member of the Moravian and Silesian Christian Academy and in 2019, he received the certificate of conversion to modern orthodox Judaism (State of Israel). During 1996–1997, he was a commentator of the Lidové noviny newspaper, and during 1995–2001 an external commentator of the Radio Free Europe. He was a Organizational secretary of the Literary Newspaper. From 1998 to 2005, he worked at the Ministry of Environment of the CR; during 2000-2003 as the head of a separate department of ecology of urbanised areas and tourism, during 2004-2005 as an advisor to the Minister for the environment and cultural heritage. In 2003, he was appointed a member of the Czech Commission for UNESCO in the ad personam category. In 2006, he was the General Director of the National Institute for the Protection and Conservation of Monuments and Sites. During 2009-2011, he was the chairman of the central cultural committee of the Czech Social Democratic Party. In theatre, he was actively involved in Alfréd Radok Prize (2009-2013) and as a jury member in Czech Theatre, a festival of professional theatres outside Prague (2006-2013).

Speech Title :

Dr. Deependra Joshi holds a PhD degree in climate change adaptation from William Carey University in India. Dr. Joshi has over 24 years of experience of working in forestry, natural resource management, climate change, disaster risk reduction and management, water and wetlands, ecosystem-based adaptation, protected area management, policy and advocacy, communications and knowledge management. Dr. Joshi has a deep-rooted knowledge and understanding of climate change and ecosystem-based adaptation projects and programmes with expertise in sustainable development planning, strategic management, community resilience, and project cycle management. Dr. Joshi has a blend of experience working in various capacities with and for the government, bi/multilateral and UN agencies. Dr. Joshi has also authored scores of publications on environment management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management, disaster risk reduction and management, and climate change adaptation related topics.

Speech Title : Influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on Atmospheric Air Pollutants in an Oceanic Island Environment: Evidence from the Azores

Maria Meirelles is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Azores, Portugal, and an integrated member of the OKEANOS Marine Research Centre. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1992), a Master’s degree in Geophysics with specialization in Meteorology from the University of Lisbon, Portugal (1997), and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of the Azores (2009). Her teaching and research activities focus on meteorology, atmospheric physics, climatology, and Earth system sciences, at both undergraduate and master’s levels. She has supervised numerous students in internships and academic theses. Her research interests include climate variability and teleconnections (notably the North Atlantic Oscillation), atmospheric air quality, greenhouse gases, and long-term environmental monitoring in oceanic island regions, particularly the Azores. She has published scientific articles and book chapters and regularly serves as a reviewer for international scientific journals. She is also an En ROADS Ambassador for the North Atlantic region and a member of the Portuguese Physical Society.

Speech Title : Climate Change vs. Water Shortage for sustainability

A. W. Jayawardena is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Hong Kong, where he has been teaching for many years. In the past, he has been a Visiting Professor at Chu Hai College of Higher Education in Hong Kong, a Technical Advisor to the Research and Development Centre of Nippon Koei Co. Ltd, Japan, the Research and Training Advisor to the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) under the auspices of UNESCO, Japan, and concurrently a Professor in the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan, Guest/Visiting Professor of Beijing Normal University, Hohai University, and Tsinghua University of China, Honorary Professor in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences of the University of Hong Kong, and an Adjunct Professor of Vellore Institute of Technology, India. He has authored the books ‘Environmental and Hydrological Systems Modelling’, “Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulics, Hydrology and Water Resources for Civil Engineers”. “Water for Life: Drinking Water, health, food, energy nexus”, and “A concise history of Japan: Jomon Period to Heisei Period”, and has over 200 publications. His awards include a visiting international fellowship of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (2002), International Award of the Japan Society of Hydrology and Water Resources (2013), Invitational fellowship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2018), and UNESCO-IHP Regional Steering Committee Asia-Pacific Award (2023).

Speech Title : Sustainable utilization of natural resources and high quality development of soil and water conservation

Zhongsheng Guo obtained his master's and doctor’s degree from Northwest A&F University in 2000 and in 2004 respectively. He is currently a professor at Northwest A&F University. He put forward the theory of the limit of plant resource utilization, the theory of vegetation carrying capacity, the theory of the critical period for regulating the relationship between plants and resources, and the new theory of soil and water conservation. This is the theoretical foundation for achieving high quality developmen of forestry, grassland agriculture and soil and water conservation. Since June 2022, he has served as the head of the "Innovative China" Agricultural Quality Production and Industrial Service Group.