All Speakers

Hanneline SMIT-ROBINSON

BirdLife South Africa

Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson serves as the Head of Conservation at BirdLife South Africa, where she oversees the organisation’s diverse Conservation Division. Hanneline holds a PhD in…

Giulia COSTA I DOMINGO

Programme Associate

IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation

Giulia Costa Domingo is part of the Ecosystem Resilience and Spatial Planning Programme at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, based in Málaga, Spain. In her role as a Programme Associate…

Yara LOURENCO

Global Gender Analyst

The Nature Conservancy

Yara Fernandes Lourenço is the Global Gender Equity Analyst for Africa at The Nature Conservancy (TNC). A social scientist and evaluator with over 22 years of experience across Africa, she leads…

Mohammed ALREMEITHI

section head - Animal assessment and conservation

Environment Agency - ABU DHABI

Mohammed Alremeithi is a conservation expert serving as a Section Head - Animal Assessment and Conservation at Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi. With a background in environmental science and passion…

Steven DICKINSON

Company Biodiversity Expert

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Steven Dickinson is the Corporate Biodiversity Expert at TotalEnergies, a global energy company active in 130 countries. He leads the company’s biodiversity program, overseeing policy, tools,…

Paulina ARROYO

Director, Global Portfolio

Enduring Earth

Paulina is an environmental leader and manager with over 20 years of experience dedicated to rights-based conservation in Latin America, the U.S., and globally, with a specific emphasis on Indigenous…

Philip FRANKS

Principal Researcher | Biodiversity

International Institute for Environment and Development

Email: phil.franks@iied.orgPhil Franks is an expert on the social dimension of natural resource management and conservation, with a particular focus on better understanding and applying…

MATTHEW GRIFFITHS

Senior Programme Manager

OECD

Matthew Griffiths is a Senior Programme Manager working in the OECD’s Environment Directorate. He works on water and wastewater policy reform with a focus on the Eurasia region and is leading a new…

Carolina MARQUES

Consultant

Consultant

Biologist, project manager, and content/publications coordinator with over 10 years of experience in socio-environmental initiatives, particularly with international and network-based organizations…

Ahmed SALEH AMAN

Unit Head - Infrastructure and Development Inspection

Environment Agency

began my professional journey over ten years ago as an Inspector at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), where I conducted more than 1,000 field visits covering all industrial and development…

Sunshine TELIO

Program Officer

NTFP-EP Asia

Sunshine is a Resources Management specialist and have work experience on data-driven land use planning and ecosystem-based DRR strategies, supporting local governments and indigenous communities in…

Zdenka PISKULICH

Managing Director Enduring Earth

Asociación Costa Rica por Siempre

Zdenka Piskulich is the Managing Director of Enduring Earth since 2021. Working with the founding organizations, Zdenka leads this ambitious collaboration to accelerate and strengthen…

Carina HIRSCH

Head of Advocacy & Policy

Margaret Pyke Trust

Ricardo OLA

Ingeniero Agronomo

Productor Agrícola

Ricardo Baldomero Ola Huitz, a Guatemalan agricultural engineer specializing in fruit and vegetable growing, with 14 years of experience in peach production. He is a producer and owner of an orchard…

Marina KOSMUS

Head of Competence Centre Biodiversity, Forests and Agriculture

GIZ

Marina Kosmus is Head of the Competence Centre for Biodiversity, Forests, and Agriculture at GIZ HQ (German Agency for International Cooperation). She brings over 20 years of professional experience…

Emma MEDERIC

Senior Science and Projects Officer

Island Conservation Society

Emma Mederic is a Seychellois conservation professional and currently serves as Senior Science and Conservation Officer at the Island Conservation Society (ICS). In this role, she leads the design…

Alec CRAWFORD

Director, Nature for Resilience

International Institute for Sustainable Development

Alec Crawford is the Director of Nature for Resilience at IISD. Within this role, he oversees the Resilience Program’s work on nature, undertaking and supervising research, policy, and practice that…

Paula PRIST

Senior Programme Coordinator

IUCN

Dr. Paula Ribeiro Prist is a Senior Programme Coordinator for Forest and Grasslands Unit at IUCN. A biologist by training, Dr. Prist holds a master's, doctorate and post-doctorate in landscape…

Yenifer DÍAZ

Sociedad Audubon de Panama

Program Director for the Panama Audubon Society with over 10 years of experience in Environmental Management and Citizen Science. She has led the "Green Classrooms" (Aulas Verdes) environmental…

Axel BENEMANN

Policy Officer

BMUKN

Mr. Axel Benemann is Deputy Head of Division for International Environment Finance at the Federal Ministry for the Environment Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear SafetyHe has…

Wendy ANCIETA

Abogada

Peruvian Society for Environmental Law

Wendy Ancieta Sánchez currently serves as legal coordinator for the Environmental Policy and Governance Program at the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law.Wendy is a lawyer with a second…

Magda ZACHARA

Programme Officer

IUCN

Magda Zachara is an educator and advocate for nature conservation with a strong scientific background. She holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Geneva and a PhD in Molecular…

Karen SUDMEIER-RIEUX

Education and capacity-building expert

G20 Global Land Initiative/UNCCD

Dr. Karen Sudmeier-Rieux Environmental is an education outreach specialist with two decades of experience researching, teaching and publishing on ecosystem restoration for reducing climate risks,…

Shereefa ALSALEM

Head of Wildlife Monitoring section

Environment Public Authority

Head of wildlife monitoring section, Kuwait focal point for CITES, working as Wildlife Enforcement Officer, follow up and implement biodiversity related conventions, responsible of wildlife…

Nadine BITAR

Vice President Middle East

International Federation of Landscape Architects

Nadine Bitar Chahine, managing partner of Baladiya Catalyst and secretary general of IFLA Middle East , MENA native woman leader that was involved in the planning process of more than 45…

Benson KASYOKI

AWF-Wall Policy Fellow

African Wildlife Foundation-Voi

I am an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a conservation enthusiast. Currently working with the African Wildlife Foundation and involved in managing the court monitoring program within the…

Philip MCGOWAN

Professor of Conservation Science and Policy

Newcastle University

My work has developed from species-specific fieldwork in the 1980s and 1990s on a highly threatened, yet little known, group of birds (Galliformes: pheasants, partridges and allies), mostly in Asia,…

Helene HOFFMANN

Project Manager International Climate Initiative

Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft gGmbH

Helene Hoffmann has been a Project Manager at the International Climate Initiative (IKI) for three years, a funding programme for climate action and biodiversity conservation projects funded by the…