Hayal Desta is an assistant professor of Environmental Planning at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and currently works at the EiABC institute in the Environmental Planning Competence Center. He holds a BSc in Biology, an MSc in Environmental Science, and a PhD in Environmental Planning. In his teaching and research, he focuses primarily on land and water resources management, watershed management, urban ecology, and urban environmental problems. His various publications address the sustainable use and management of natural resources, with a particular emphasis on aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. He is also interested in how local communities perceive and interact with natural resources within the context of sustainable utilization. Hayal’s current works explore the effects of anthropogenic-induced land and water deterioration in lake and watershed areas involving different stakeholders; farmers’ perceptual and attitudinal dimensions of watershed management; land use/ land cover change detection; and model-based simulation to examine spatio-temporal hydrological processes and sediment load changes in the Ethiopian Central Rift Valley region, specifically Lake Ziway and its watershed areas. At the Rachel Carson Center, he will be working on his project “Scrutiny of Integrated Land and Water Use Management Scenario in Lake Ziway Watershed with Main Unit of Analysis on Lake Ziway.”