Prof. Wendy FODEN

Head: Cape Research Centre, South African National Parks

Wendy Foden heads South African National Parks’ Cape Research Centre, helping to serve the conservation needs of parks in this region.  She also chairs the IUCN SSC Climate Change Specialist Group which aims to strengthen bridges between science, practice and policy. She is an Associate Professor (extraordinary) at Stellenbosch University and an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town. Wendy focuses on applied research and on-the-ground support for climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation in natural systems.  She previously led the development of the IUCN SSC’s best-practice guidelines for assessing species vulnerability to climate change, and IUCN’s climate change vulnerability assessment of the world’s birds, amphibians, corals and lemurs. Wendy recently won IUCN’s George Rabb award for innovative conservation and the British Ecological Society’s Marsh award for outstanding climate change research.