Jess Kavonic is part of ICLEI’s Cities Biodiversity Center as well as ICLEI Africa’s Climate Change and Resilience team. She has a background in atmospheric science with a more specialised knowledge of climate change and its relationship with a sustainable approach to development. She has experience working with and for local governments, working to improve urban human well-being, build climate resilience, strengthen local sustainability and protect the urban natural asset base in cities through influencing development policies and planning systems.