Interview with a NatCapper: Nfamara Dampha

In this Q&A, we talk with Dr. Nfamara K. Dampha, Research Director of NatCap TEEMs, at the University of Minnesota (UMN). Dampha seeks to strengthen UMN and NatCap partnerships with local and international decision-makers and communities, to advance natural capital accounting and ecosystem service assessment and valuation. This work aims to build a sustainable future in which people and the planet prosper together. 

Tell us a little about your role at UMN. 

I am a Lead Scientist and Research Director of the Natural Capital Project at the University of Minnesota, now called NatCap TEEMs, formerly with the UMN Institute on the Environment. My research focuses on the nexus of climate, nature, and development— three keywords I often think about in my work. This includes understanding and identifying policy-relevant solutions for addressing forced displacement, climate injustice, maladaptation, loss and damage, and climate financing gaps for strengthening community resilience and ensuring a just, sustainable transition for all. Maladaptation refers to actions that actually increase our risks from climate change, and loss and damage refers to the unavoidable and irreversible impacts of the climate crisis.

I work with many different sectors, including government, academia, civil society, and international organizations. All of these are crucial in the ongoing conversation surrounding climate change. In particular, I am deeply honored to participate in the United Nations climate change negotiation process. Since 2022, I have co-led the Institute on the Environment-funded delegation to the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and represent The Gambia and the 45 Least Developed Countries as a climate negotiator on adaptation matters. 

Can you talk a little bit about your background and the road you took to get to UMN and NatCap?

I came to the U.S. through the inaugural cohort of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Previously, I was Director of Admin and Human Resources at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) in The Gambia, under the Office of the President. As director, I developed a strong interest in the intersection of development and the environment, particularly in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Climate change-driven disasters pose the most significant challenge to sustaining gains achieved through development. At UMN, my interdisciplinary background directly informs my approach to integrating sustainable development with nature’s crucial role in building resilience.

Can you describe your experiences collaborating with NatCap and how this partnership is useful to you and your work?

I am committed to fortifying NatCap’s partnership with stakeholders at local, regional, and global levels. I am a member of the NatCap Partnership Team, which helps coordinate across our core partners, allowing us to share updates and build off of each other's work more effectively. 

In April, I made a two-week scholarly capacity and partnership strengthening engagement mission to the Basque Centre for Climate Change in Spain. The mission aimed to promote interdisciplinary research between NatCappers and the Artificial Intelligence for Environment & Sustainability (ARIES) scientists. We discussed local to global assessment, valuation, integration of natural capital and ecosystem service benefits into economic models, as well as mainstreaming nature’s value into decision-making processes ranging from local scale studies to integrated global assessments. 

The modeling capabilities of InVEST and the ARIES team are gaining momentum, contributing to advances in science and modeling that highlight the invisible values of nature. We all know that nature has a significant role, yet its value is under-recognized, not only for conservation purposes but for resilience-building and improving mitigation outcomes. Scientists and policymakers alike now realize this. 

Tell us about a key NatCap project you are working on right now.

I am the lead for the project, “Nature’s Value in Reducing Flood Risk Impacts in the Upper Mississippi River Basin,” which involves basin-wide modeling on current and projected flood risk – as upstream floods will affect communities downstream regardless of state boundaries.

Our research aims to assess the value of landscape- and nature-based solutions in reducing flood risks for vulnerable communities in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. We are also utilizing InVEST models to assess co-benefits of these solutions, such as sediment reduction and pollination. With this research, we can guide resource management, funding decisions, and policies through an integrated lens of flood risk, ecosystem services, and environmental justice. 

What motivates you to do this work?

I had a joyful childhood in Genieri, a rural village in The Gambia blessed with abundant natural wealth yet burdened by economic poverty and climate change impacts such as intense rainfall events alternating with severe drought and deadly heat waves, which all hinder people's livelihoods and aspirations of a better future. My mission is to contribute to alleviating poverty, addressing climate injustice, and showcasing the vital yet often overlooked benefits that nature brings to our economy, society, and environment. 

Lastly, what do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I enjoy volunteering for my community as former president and current governing board member for the Gambian Association in Minnesota, and founding executive director for HELP-Gambia. I also like to spend my weekends talking with friends, playing with my kids, listening to music, trekking in nature, and visiting beaches. 

The Natural Capital Project is a partnership based out of Stanford University, with core partners at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm Resilience Center, the University of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF.