Recording: HERE
When: JANUARY 28th 2026
Time: 12:00 PM EST (19:00 SAST)
Spring ecosystems develop where groundwater reaches the surface, and are focal hotspots for biodiversity conservation, understanding of aquifer integrity, and cultural and economic attention throughout the world. Springs are abundant and widely used, but have been over-appropriated and degraded or lost, precipitating recent global conservation concern. Using examples from North America and South Africa in a mixed-speaker seminar, we will describe the state of knowledge of springs distribution and their ecology, bio-cultural and economic value, and discuss the strategy for improving conservation.
The biodiversity of springs, as an ecosystem type, can be reported under the three targets of Goal A of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (GBF) by 2030 and thereafter. We hope this FWBON webinar will open the discussion at the global level, towards improved representativeness and reporting of this ecosystem type in the future.
Agenda
| Time (EST) | Item |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | Welcome |
| 12:05 | Ecology and Conservation of Springs and Springs-Dendent Species: A Global Perspective (+Poll), by Larry Stevens |
| 12:20 | Spring Forward: Data-Driven Stewardship of Vital Spring Ecosystems, by Joseph Holway |
| 12:35 | Biodiversity Typing of South African Springs at Country-Wide for Reporting to the Global Biodiversity Framework, by Heidi van Deventer |
| 12:50 | Q&A and discussion |
| 12:55 | Wrap-up |
Speakers
Dr. Larry Stevens – Springs Stewardship Institute (SSI), Director
Dr. Larry Stevens is the Curator of Ecology at the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the Director of SSI. He received his Ph.D in Zoology from Northern Arizona University in 1989, and served as the ecologist for Grand Canyon National Park from 1989 to 1994. Well respected in the field of ecology, Dr. Stevens was the editor for Red Lake Books, has served on many ecological councils in Arizona, conducted research on biogeography, springs ecology, and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Joseph Holway – Springs Stewardship Institute (SSI), Assistant Director
Dr. Joseph Holway first worked with SSI from 2015-2018 as a field technician before starting graduate school. He earned his PhD in Environmental Life Sciences from Arizona State University in 2024 and was a 2021 Fulbright Research Scholar in Cambodia. His dissertation research focused on the impacts of hydrologic variance to food security in the Lower Mekong Basin. Dr. Holway was born and raised in the American Southwest where he developed an appreciation and curiosity for water, particularly in arid environments. He is thrilled to be back at SSI working to promote the scientific understanding and stewardship of springs ecosystems across the globe.
Dr. Heidi van Deventer – Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa
Dr. Heidi van Deventer is a principal researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa, who, as a geoinformation scientist, focuses on the improved representativeness and monitoring of estuarine and freshwater ecosystem biodiversity and ecological condition. She is one of the regional coordinators of the Freshwater Biodiversity Observation Network (FWBON), and also an Extraordinary Research Associate to the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology.