Ms Celeste Espach

Biography

Celeste did her first degree in Nature Conservation at the Polytechnic of Namibia in 1994 and followed it with a National Certificate in Land Use Planning in 1999. In 2001, Celeste earned her Master’s of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation (Rural Land Ecology) at the University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart in Germany. She joined the then Department o Land Management in 2011 as a lecturer, and then became the Head of the Geo-Spatial Sciences and Technology department in 2016 to date, and the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning in 2020. In 2021 she embarked on her PhD studies at NUST, on the use of UAV technology for tree and shrub species identification for long-term monitoring purposes in the Thornbush savanna of Namibia.

Research Focus

• Remote sensing applications
• Land cover and land use mapping
• Use of UAV Technology

Courses Currently Teaching

Undergraduate

• Remote Sensing 1 & 2
• Geodemographics
• Cartography and Map Visualisation
• Geographic Information Systems 2 & 3

Community Development Activities

• NUST Career Fair, Windhoek Industrial and Agricultural Show

Selected Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

• Espach, C. 2006. Rangeland Productivity Modelling: Developing and Customizing methodologies for land cover mapping in Namibia.  Agricola, Number 16, 2006. 
• Espach, C., Lubbe, L.G. and Ganzin, N. 2006. Determining Grazing Capacity in Namibia: Approaches and Methodologies. Agricola, Number 16, 2006.
• Lubbe, L.G. and Espach, C. 2006. Using Remote Sensing in search of Grazing Capacity. Spotlight on Agriculture. Number 99 January 2006. 
• Lubbe, L.G. and Espach, C. 2006. An Accurate Grazing Capacity map for Namibia - Myth or Reality. Spotlight on Agriculture. Number 100 January 2006.
• Lubbe, L.G. and Espach, C. 2008. Using Remote Sensing in search of Grazing Capacity. Spotlight on Agriculture. Number 107 May 2008. 
• Espach, C. Determining Grazing Capacity in Namibia with the aid of Remote Sensing. African Journal of Rangeland Forage Science 26 (3).
• Espach, C. The Use of Remotely sensed Data as a Methodology to Determine Grazing Capacity in Namibia.  Agricultural Innovations for Sustainable Development  - Contributions from the Finalists of the African Women in Science Competition, Issue 1 Volume 2.
• Espach, C., Lubbe, L.G. and Ganzin, N. 2010. Determining Grazing Capacity in Namibia with the aid of Remote Sensing. Agricola, Number__, 2010.

Conference presentations & invited talks

International

• Espach, C., Walters, M., Strohbach, B. 2022. Bush encroachment in the Thornbush Savanna of Central Namibia is not widespread, but habitat-specific. SAAB 2022 47th Annual Conference. 17 – 20 January 2022, South Africa.
• Espach, C. 2004. OVERVIEW OF  AGR0-ECOLOGICAL ZONING  PROGRAMME IN NAMIBIA. Introductory  Workshop on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security GMES Forest Monitoring, 26 - 28 January 2004, Johannesburg, South Africa. Espach, C. 2004. THE ROLE OF LAND COVER MAPPING IN THE AGROECOLOGICAL PROGRAMME IN NAMIBIA. FAO/UNEP Global Land Cover Network, 13-17 December 2004, Pretoria, South Africa.
• Espach, C.  2005. OVERVIEW OF AGROECOLOGICAL ZONING PROGRAMME IN NAMIBIA, OVERVIEW OF LAND COVER MAPPING AND METHODOLOGIES. GMES (Global Monitoring for Environmental and Security) for ESA (European Space Agency) Meetings at GAF-AG, 20 - 26 September, Munich, Germany.
• Espach, C.  2005. DEVELOPING AND CUSTOMIZING METHODOLOGIES FOR LAND COVER MAPPING IN NAMIBIA. AFRICAGIS_2005 Conference (Beyond Talk: Goo-Information Working for Africa), 30 October- 5 November 2005, Pretoria, South Africa. Espach, C.  2006. WORKSHOP: CATALOGUE OF AVAILABLE FUNDAMENTAL GEO-SPATIAL DATASETS FOR AFRICA AND COUNTRY GAP ANALYSIS.17 -18 October 2006, Pretoria, South Africa.
• Espach, C. 2006. DETERMINING GRAZING CAPACITY IN NAMIBIA: APPROACHES AND METHODOLOGIES. 6 111   International AARSE Conference (Earth Observation & Geo-Information Sciences, Africa's Development), 30 October - 2 November 2006, Cairo, Egypt.
• Espach, C. 2008. OVERVIEW OF  ORGANISATIONS AND ENTITIES INVOLVED IN GEo-SPATIAL  DATASETS IN NAMIBIA. Regional Workshop on Agricultural Data Management and 1st SADC  Regional  Workshop on AIMS (Agricultural Information Management System). 18-19 February 2008, Swaziland.
• Espach, C. 2008. OVERVIEW  OF  AGRICULTURAL GEO-SPATIAL DATASETS IN NAMIBIA.  2nd  SADC Regional  Workshop on Agricultural Information Data Management. 16 -18 April 2008, Gabarone, Botswana.
• Espach, C. 2008.  FEEDBACK ON AGRICULTURAL AND NATIONAL GE0-SPATIAL  DATASETS IN NAMIBIA. 3rd SADC  Regional Workshop on Agricultural Information Data Management. 27 - 30 May 2008, Gabarone, Botswana.
• Espach, C. 2008. PRESENTATION AND DEMONSTRATION ON HOW TO USE WEB GIS IN THE AIMS  PORTAL. 4th SADC  Regional Workshop on Agricultural Information Data Management. 25-27 June 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Espach, C. 2008.   DETERMINING GRAZING CAPACITY IN NAMIBIA  WITH THE AID OF REMOTE SENSING. Assessing, Mapping, Understanding and Preventing Natural Resource Degradation and Desertification Workshop-  CSIR. 16- 19 September 2008, Pretoria, South Africa.
• Espach, C. 2009. THE USE OF REMOTELY SENSED DATA AS METHODOLOGY TO DETERMINE  GRAZING CAPACITY IN NAMIBIA. Finalist of the African Women in Science Competition. 25-27 June 2008, Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.

National

• Espach, C. 2004. NAMIBIAN LAND COVER MAPPING PROJECT. Informative Workshop. September 2004, Windhoek, Namibia. a.    Overview and Background of InternationalLand Cover Classification Scheme. b.  Classification Concepts and Definitions of International Land Cover Classification Scheme c.  Design Criteria of InternationalLand Cover Classification Scheme. d.  Namibian Land Cover Classification Scheme e.  Namibian Land Cover Mapping Methodology
• Espach, C. 2005. BIOMASS PRODUCTION ESTIMATION IN NAMIBIA. Quantification of Land Production Potential-  Report on Preliminary Results and Planning for National Project, 14-15 November 2005, Windhoek, Namibia.
• Espach, C. 2006. NATIONWIDE DETERMINATION OF RANGELAND RESOURCES IN NAMIBIA -TOWARDS USABLE INFORMATION FOR RATIONAL LAND REFORM IN NAMIBIA. Namibian Rangeland Forum, 29 August 2006, Windhoek, Namibia.
• Espach, C. 2007. QUANTIFICATION OF LAND PRODUCTION POTENTIAL. Quantification of Land Production Potential - Final Results and the Way Forward, 27 March 2007, Windhoek, Namibia.
• Espach, C. 2007. QUANTIFICATION OF LAND PRODUCTION POTENTIAL. Quantification of Land Production Potential - Final Results and the Way Forward. Ministry of Lands and Resettlement Managerial Meeting (presenting to Permanent Secretary). 10 April 2007, Windhoek, Namibia.