Conference Program
International Conference: Sustainable Ecosystems for Disaster Resilience – Best Practices and Success Stories
14–16 May 2025 | Ankara, Türkiye
An activity of the project entitled: Embedding Nature-Based Solutions into Disaster Risk Management to Strengthen the Resilience of Türkiye (Eco-DRR Türkiye) – ECHO/SUB/2022/TRACK1/886111/TR
14 May – Wednesday
14:00 Opening Speeches
- Prof. Dr. Aykut AKGÜN – Technical Coordinator of TERRA Project, Department Head of AFAD
- Elizabeth Sellwood – UNEP
- Anna PAPAVLACHOPOULOU – Programme Officer, EU Delegation to Türkiye
- Ali Hamza PEHLİVAN – Governor, Head of AFAD
15:00 Family Photo and Coffee Break
15:15 Panel 1: Eco-DRR Concept and International Organizations – Chair: Akif TÜRKEL, EUD
- Karen Sudmeier-Rieux – University of Applied Sciences, Cologne
- Udo Nehren – University of Cologne
- Elizabeth Sellwood & Fruzsina Straus – UNEP
- Meral MUNGAN ARDA – UNDP
- Andrew Mackay BOWER – UNDRR (Online)
16:45 Coffee Break
17:00 Panel 2: Examples of Eco-DRR Works in Türkiye – Chair: Prof. Dr. Aykut AKGÜN
- Prof. Dr. Yusuf SERENGİL – TERRA Project
- Hatice DİNÇ & Ayşe ERKAN – Türkiye Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Capacity Assessment
- Prof. Dr. Mustafa ŞAHMARAN – Best Environmental Practice Examples in Earthquake, Construction and Demolition Waste Management
- Neslihan AĞARTAN – Climate Change Presidency
- Serhan ÇAĞIRANKAYA – General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks
- İsmail BULUT – General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion
- Özge ERDEM – General Directorate of Environmental Impact Assessment, Permit and Inspection
15 May – Thursday
09:00 Panel 3: Eco-DRR Solutions Worldwide – Past and Future – Chair: Prof. Dr. Yusuf SERENGİL
- Joao Azevedo – Portugal
- Fabian Rackelman – Germany
- Minfang Zhang – China
- Adam Wei – Canada
- Nadeem Shah – United Kingdom
- Erik van Eekelen – Netherlands (Online)
11:00 Coffee Break
11:15 Session 1 – Chair: Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Kerem KOÇKAR
- Managing Disaster Risks under Climate Change and Increasing Forest Disturbance: A Watershed Ecosystem Approach – Adam Wei
- Restoring Hydrological Services by Forestation: Lessons and Practices in China – Minfang Zhang
- Fire-Smart Ecosystem and Landscape Management Alternatives as Nature-Based Solutions in Portugal – Joao Azevedo
- Promoting Synergies Between Land Degradation Neutrality and Climate Change Adaptation Using Ecosystem-Based Approaches – Fabian Rackelman
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Session 2 – Chair: Prof. Dr. Aykut AKGÜN
- Non-Stationary Hydrological Responses to Forest Harvesting Vary Along Topographic Gradients – Shinyu Deng
- Assessment of Forest Fire Susceptibility of the Aegean Region Using Machine Learning Models – Halil Akıncı
- Tree Planting to Reduce Landslide Risk – Nadeem W. Shah
- Preventing Urban Floods in the Marmara Region: Ecosystem-Based Risk Reduction Strategies Through Green Infrastructure – Gökhan Yılmaz
- The Role of Ecosystem Elements in the Evaluation of Landslide Mechanisms in Urban and Rural Areas: Anthropogenic Factors – Erkin Tekin
15:30 Coffee Break
15:45 Session 3 – Chair: Prof. Dr. Orhan TATAR
- Sustainable Forest Monitoring Using Dual-Polarized Synthetic Aperture Radar Technique – Yong Wang
- Future Cities: The Power of Smart Infrastructures in Flooding – Ahmet Emirhan Yolcu
- Harmony in Action for Land Restoration: Linking Social Protection, Financial Inclusion, and Disaster Risk Finance – Fabian Rackelman
- Landslide Susceptibility Assessment of Technical and Social Infrastructure Facilities in Artvin Central District – Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özalp
- Resilience Studies Academy – REMEDY: Strengthening Eco-DRR and Climate Change Adaptation Capacity – Kıvanç Okalp
16 May – Friday
08:15 – 11:00 Field Trip
11:15 Closing Ceremony
11:30 Departure of Participants