Geography for Resilient Communities under Global Environmental Changes

Welcome to the International Conference on Geography and Global Sustainability

(Virtual Conference - ICGGS 2025)

ICGGS 2025 is organised by the Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. This is a one-day virtual event and all the geography-related researchers from across the globe are invited to join this international event. This conference provides a forum for researchers to share their work, exchange ideas, and collaborate with others in the field of Geography and related disciplines. Those who are actively engaged in research connected with Geography are warmly welcome to join and present a paper in this international event.

Keynote Speech

Islands, Tourism, and Resilience

From 9.15 am - 10.00am on 07 March 2025

Islands are unique geographical spaces that foster both vulnerability and strength. Their isolation and exposure to environmental and economic shocks necessitate continuous adaptation for survival and prosperity. In Sri Lanka, tourism is a cornerstone of the economy, yet it has been repeatedly tested by civil conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crises, and extreme weather events. Similar challenges face small Pacific Island nations, where adaptation is an ingrained practice. Drawing on my research in the Pacific, this presentation explores how island communities and organisations navigate disruptions through drawing on diverse skills, social and cultural capital, traditional knowledge, and external support networks. By exploring these lived experiences, we can gain a richer understanding of resilience in island tourism and better inform sustainable tourism strategies in island destinations worldwide.

Keynote Speaker : Prof.Regina Scheyvens

Regina Scheyvens is Professor of Development Studies at Massey University in New Zealand, with a background in Human Geography and Social Anthropology. At Massey, Regina combines a passion for teaching about international development with research on tourism, community empowerment and sustainable development, especially focusing on the Global South. Along with books on ‘Tourism for Development: Empowering Communities’, ‘Development Fieldwork: A Practical Guide’, ‘Tourism and Poverty’ and ‘Inclusive Tourism Development’, she has published a wide range of articles and blogs and is producing a youtube series on ‘Indigenous Voices on Tourism’. Her recent collaborations with Indigenous scholars have led to work on the Sustainable Development Goals, the need to move beyond ‘business-as-usual’ in tourism, and how tourism can contribute to social justice. Her latest research appears here: (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=xW5audUAAAAJ)

Conference Workshop

Tips for your research publication journey

From 1.00pm - 2.00pm on 07 March 2025

Workshop Facilitator: Dr Chathu Jayakody

Dr Chathuranganee Jayakody (Chathu) is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Built Environment, Birmingham City University (BCU). Before joining BCU, Chathu was a lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), University of Manchester, UK. She previously worked as a Senior Tutor in Planning and Environmental Management at the School of Environment Education and Development (SEED), University of Manchester. She was also a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Huddersfield and a research member at the Global Disaster Resilience Centre. Prior to her academic career, she worked at the Planning and Building Control department at Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, UK. She was also involved in large-scale housing development projects under the sustainable township program in Sri Lanka.

Her research interests are urban planning and urban designing interventions for disaster resilience, planning and designing sustainable public open spaces and shared spaces and addressing the needs of displaced communities and social cohesion through planning and urban design. Chathu is the Associate Editor of International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment (IJDRBE).

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