Estelle Razanatsoa

Dr Estelle Razanatsoa is a Junior Research Fellow at the People in Nature & Climate (PiNC) Lab in ACDI at the University of Cape Town. Her research examines the dynamics of African biomes and biodiversity by studying long-term interactions between ecosystems, people, and climate. She investigates vegetation change, ecological, and social feedbacks to understand resilience and inform pathways for sustainable resource use. Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches, Estelle bridges ecology, palaeoecology, modelling and climate science with policy engagement, collaborating with communities, conservation practitioners, and policymakers to co-develop strategies that support biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. She is currently working on adapting and validating a Landscape model (LandClim) using palaeodata to extend our understanding of how various southern African ecosystems respond to current and projected climate change impacts and management scenarios.

Estelle has/is also an IPCC author who contributed to the IPCC Assessment Report (AR6 and AR7) and is part of the core team in developing the interactive atlas for working group II on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. 

Estelle holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from UCT (2019). She also earned an Msc in Ecology and Biodiversity of Tropical Plants from the University of Montpellier (France) and completed her undergraduate degree in Biology and Plant Ecology at the University of Antananarivo (Madagascar).