Camissa, 'place of sweet waters', is the Khoi name for Cape Town

The name and logo give homage to the indigenous people of this region and represents the intimate cultural, social and ecological links between people and nature

Camissa Sustainability Consulting

is owned and run by Jonathan Aronson, from Cape Town, South Africa. I specialize in biodiversity consulting services related to renewable energy across the globe.

The transition to a carbon neutral society requires a transformation of our energy sector. Yet, wind and solar energy impacts wildlife such as birds and bats which collide with wind turbine blades, and through modification of habitats and ecosystems.

Camissa works to support the growth of renewable energy while safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services.

My mission is to provide pragmatic solutions to environmental problems in line with the business needs of my clients

Experience

I have over a decade of experience working as a research ecologist for renewable energy projects and hold a MSc (Environment and Resource Management) from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a MSc (Zoology) from the University of Cape Town. I am also a registered Professional Natural Scientist (Ecological Science).

Environmental Consulting

I adopt a client-focus approach to my work and listen closely to their needs. I provide clear and logical advice in high quality reports that distill complex topics into simple messaging, aiming to understand and solve the challenging issues my clients face.

Policy and Practice

I help shape local and international wind-wildlife policy and practice. I have authored best practice wind energy guidance in South Africa for pre-construction and operational monitoring, and am advising the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the German Development Bank in the development of a good practice handbook for post-construction bird and bat fatality monitoring for the onshore wind energy sector in emerging markets globally.

Research and Collaboration

I work with project developers, research institutions, NGOs and international development finance institutions to advance wind-wildlife science. I have helped create a bat and wind energy community of practice in South Africa, regularly participates in industry forums and conferences, and advise the International Finance Corporation ESG Sustainability Advice & Solutions Department on biodiversity issues in the wind sector.