Tahia is a Research Fellow at SEI Oxford. Her research and professional interests include climate change adaptation, socio-ecological system dynamics, climate risk communication, bioenergy, poverty alleviation and sustainable development in developing nations.

Tahia’s professional experience includes interdisciplinary research, project design and coordination, facilitation and training, and technical support for various organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Vision, and Louisiana State University. She was also a researcher and contributing author for the UNDP Human Development Report Bolivia 2008 and the UNEP Year Book 2009.

Since joining SEI, Tahia has been involved in projects aimed at building local adaptive capacity to climate change in Asia, Africa, and Latin America including the Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme, and Advancing Capacity to Support Climate Change Adaptation (ACCCA).

She also coordinated training workshops in adaptation planning and climate risk communication for the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform for Asia and led the ecosystems component in coordination with the SEI Nairobi Office for the DFID funded project, the Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

Academic background
Tahia holds a two-year research based MSc. (Honours) in Environmental Science, Policy and Management jointly awarded by the University of Manchester, UK, Lund University, Sweden, and Central European University, Hungary and a BSc. (Honours) in Environmental Science and Rural Development Studies from the University of Zamorano, Honduras.

She was awarded an EC Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and the 2008 Development Cooperation Prize from the Belgian Government for her research in Borneo, Malaysia, on the sustainability assessment of palm oil biodiesel production. Tahia has worked and studied in more than seven countries and is fluent in Spanish, German, French and English.

Publications

• Building Shared Understanding and Capacity for Action: Insights on Climate Risk Communication from India, Ghana, Malawi, and Mongolia (Journal - 2013)

• Current vulnerability in the Tri-National de la Sangha landscape, Cameroon (Policy brief - 2013)

• Joining the Dots: Learning to Work Collaboratively to Address Climate Change (Paper - 2013)

• GEO-5 Chapter 3: Land (Book chapter - 2012)

• Final Report: Tanzania Study – Ecosystems, Development, and Climate Adaptation: Improving the Knowledge Base for Planning, Policy and Management (Project report - 2011)

• Final Report: Belize Study – Ecosystems, Development, and Climate Adaptation: Improving the Knowledge Base for Planning, Policy and Management (Project report - 2010)

• Sustainability Analysis of Biofuel Production in Developing Countries: Linking National Perspectives with Ground Realities in Malaysia (Book - 2009)

• The Adaptation Continuum: Groundwork for the Future (Book - 2009)

• Harmful Substances and Hazardous Waste (Book chapter - 2009)

• La otra frontera: Usos alternativos de recursos naturales en Bolivia (Report - 2009)

Complete list of publications »

Projects

• EcoAdapt

  
  

• Whole decision network analysis for coastal ecosystems (WD-NACE)

  
  

• Integrating climate change adaptation, the natural environment and poverty reduction into national and regional policy frameworks

  
  

• Mediation

  
  

• Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin: Synergies between Adaptation and Mitigation (COBAM)

  
  

• AdaptCost

  
  

• Climate Change Capacity and Development (C3D+)

  
  

• Climate Change Adaptation Targets (CCAT)

  
  

• Advancing Capacity in Climate Change Adaptation (ACCCA)

  
  

• The Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme (NCAP)