Professor Richard Cowling will be the first Keynote Speaker opening the Congress on the morning of Tuesday 20 July 2010 with a plenary address entitled An extraordinary desert – the Succulent Karoo in a global context. Prof Cowling is a Research Professor at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. His research interests include plant evolutionary patterns and processes in species-rich regions such as the succulent karoo, fynbos and thicket biomes as well as mainstreaming conservation plans via social marketing. He has published widely and received many awards acknowledging his dedication to science and the environment.

Professor Christo Fabricius will follow with a plenary keynote address for the Community Based Natural Resource Management and Eco-Tourism session entitled Building the adaptive capacity of farmers on the threshold. Prof Fabricius is a Professor and Campus Principal at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in George, South Africa. He specializes in Complex Systems Management and leadership for transformation. His principal research focus is environment poverty alleviation and social-ecological resilience. He is a member of several important international committees, including the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, the World Commission on Protected Areas; and the bioSustainability project of Diversitas.