S Nelana Editor

Kaitano Dube is a distinguished professor of tourism geography at the University of South Africa. With more than 10 years of teaching and research experience in areas of climate change, tourism, aviation sustainability and education. He has published and co-edited 18 highly cited international books and more than 70 international journal articles in the areas of his research interest. An NRF C2-rated researcher, Professor Dube is a visiting professor at Emirates Aviation University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is the founding SARChI research chair holder for Tourism Sustainability and Climate Change at the Vaal University of Technology.

David Chikodzi is a Professor at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) who has widely researched in areas that include climate change, dryland livelihoods, Earth Observation, spatial analysis, and disaster risk reduction. David has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, as well as editing and authoring eight books.  . In his over 15 years of academic work, he has participated in several local and internationally funded research projects across Southern Africa and has widely published in heritage-based education 5.0.

Kevin Mearns is a full professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Professor Mearns spe­cialises in the research areas of sustainability, sustainable tourism, commu­nity-based tourism, ecotourism, and the social aspects of protected areas in southern and eastern Africa. Professor Mearns has supervised more than 56 postgraduate masters and doctoral candidates to completion and has pub­lished more than 100 peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles, chapters, and conference proceedings.
Dr. Clarice P. Mudzengi is a climate adaptation researcher and rangeland specialist with a PhD in Spatial Ecology and Remote Sensing. Her work focuses on dryland agriculture, ecosystem services, and nature-based solutions to build resilience in semi-arid systems. A curiosity-driven, problem-focused researcher, she has published extensively on climate change, livestock–wildlife interactions, and sustainable natural resource management. 

Dr Michael Mubvuma is an innovative climate change scientist and crop modelling expert with a strong passion for dryland farming systems. Dr Mubvuma has published several climate change-related and has worked extensively in “climate-crop-water-soil” modelling research. Michael has produced crop-climate models that have shaped and improved legume yields in the dryland regions of Southern Africa. Dr Mubvuma is currently a senior lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University, in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, where he teaches global environmental issues and climate change. 

Speech S Nelana is an Associate Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Innovation Commercialisation and Internationalisation at the Vaal University of Technology, South Africa.

Lazarus Maleho is an Associate Professor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences at Vaal University of Technology. Prof. Maleho has more than 15 years of experience in academia, among the duties and roles he has played include lecturing, programme coordination, and Head of Department. Lazarus was involved in many policy developments at VUT, and he was a member of several committees. His background is in strategic communication, Public Relations and Media Studies.

Ms. Sisamkele S. Mdoda is a tourism researcher whose work focuses on tourism, hospitality, and aviation within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. She holds a Master of Management in Travel and Tourism Services Management from the Vaal University of Technology, South Africa. In 2025, she was awarded the Emerging Researcher Award for her contributions to tourism and aviation research