All Speakers

Speaker Andrea CROSTA
Andrea CROSTA

Founder and Executive Director

Earth League International (ELI)

He is the Founder and Executive Director of Earth League International (ELI), a Los Angeles–based NGO specializing in investigating environmental organized crime. For over 15 years, he has been…
Speaker Prachi JADHAV
Prachi JADHAV

Regional Manager

WWF

Prachi Jadhav is the Regional Programme Manager with WWF, leading Mekong in BALANCE (MiB), a Sida-funded initiative that aims to deliver inclusive and equitable biodiversity governance across…
Speaker Carl Gustaf LUNDIN
Carl Gustaf LUNDIN

Advisory Board Member

MSC Foundation

Carl Gustaf specializes in ocean investment strategies for philanthropic organizations as well as equity funds. Carl Gustaf has worked with Mission Blue as Managing Director and CEO and Senior…
Speaker Rene BEYERS
Rene BEYERS

Researcher

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Rene is a conservation biologist at the University of British Columbia with extensive international experience in wildlife management, ecological monitoring, and ecosystem recovery. He has a broad…
Speaker Hye-Jin Kim
Hye-Jin Kim

Senior-Manager

Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute

Speaker Liliana JAUREGUI
Liliana JAUREGUI

Director

IUCN NL

As Director of IUCN NL (the Dutch Committee of IUCN), I bring more than 30 years of experience working at the intersection of environmental justice and human rights. Based in Amsterdam, the…
Speaker Susana WAQAINABETE
Susana WAQAINABETE

Vice President Pacific Islands Program

Conservation International

Susana Tuisese is Vice President for Conservation International’s Pacific Islands and Oceans Program. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of the South Pacific and Master’s Degree in…
Speaker Michael BUNCE
Michael BUNCE

Director of OceanOmics and Ecosystem Intelligence

Minderoo Foundation

Mike trained in genetics and then used his DNA skills within the fields of ancient and environmental DNA. He spent the last two decades (at Universities in Oxford, Canada and Australia) extracting…
Speaker Catherine BRYAN
Catherine BRYAN

Co-Chair

Synchronicity Earth

Catherine uses her experience in organisational development, markets and risk, alongside her fascination with the natural world to support a wide range of work that promotes the protection and…
Speaker Anabella PALACIOS
Anabella PALACIOS

Senior Programme Manager Ocean

IUCN

Anabella is a Senior Programme Manager at IUCN, based in Washington DC, with over a decade of experience managing transformative climate initiatives, with a particular focus on addressing the…
Speaker Paula BUENO
Paula BUENO

Regional Vice Chair

IUCN WCPA

Regional Vice Chair, South America. M.Sc. in Sustainability Science, Resilience and Global Change. With over 18 years of experience and an on-going career in biodiversity conservation at the…
Speaker Frédérique THOMAS
Frédérique THOMAS

Directrice Sénégal

SOCODEVI

A graduate of HEC Montréal in finance and international economics, Frédérique Thomas obtained a master’s degree in management and international development from the Université de Sherbrooke, and a…
Speaker Olivier CHASSOT
Olivier CHASSOT

Senior Project Coordinator, AlUla PAN Project

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Dr. Olivier Chassot is the Senior Programme Officer for Protected, Conserved, and Heritage Areas at the IUCN Asia Regional Office. He previously served as a Steering Committee member of the IUCN…
Speaker Alexis NIKIZA
Alexis NIKIZA

Directeur Général

Association Protection des Ressources Naturelles pour le Ben-Etre de laPopulation au Burundi (APRN/BEPB)

Alexis Nikiza is a biologist by training, with a Master's degree in Sciences and Integrated Environmental Management and several certificates of on-the-job training. Director General of APRN/BEPB and…
Speaker Erustus KANGA
Erustus KANGA

Director General

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Prof. Kanga has over twenty (20) years of experience in biodiversity conservation, climate change vulnerability assessment and mapping, bio-enterprises, and community livelihood support. He has a…
Speaker Ony RAKOTOARISOA
Ony RAKOTOARISOA

Director General

Madagascar National Parks

Ony Rakotoarisoa has been the Director General of Madagascar National Parks since 2024. With over 28 years of experience in international cooperation, sustainable development, and environmental…
Speaker Joseph KIESECKER
Joseph KIESECKER

Lead Scientist

The Nature Conservancy

Joseph Kiesecker is Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environmental organization. He is a recognized scientific leader in energy siting and mitigation and his work has…
Speaker Nirmal SHAH
Nirmal SHAH

Chief Executive

Nature Seychelles

Dr. Shah is a Seychellois fisheries, environmental and sustainable development expert with 43 years of experience in public, governmental, private and NGO sectors. He has also worked for IUCN and…
Speaker Guichard BOUNGOU
Guichard BOUNGOU

chargé de projet BIODEV 2030

WWF Congo

Speaker Sarah Amy WYATT
Sarah Amy WYATT

Sr. Biodiversity Specialist

GEF (Global Environment Facility)

Sarah Wyatt is a Senior Biodiversity Specialist at the Global Environment Facility (GEF). At the GEF, she leads work with Latin American and Pacific island countries to develop biodiversity…
Speaker Jun WU
Jun WU

Deputy Director

Ministry of natural resources of People's republic China

Speaker Cecilia CRONEMBERGER
Cecilia CRONEMBERGER

Coordinator for Biodiversity Monitoring and Research

ICMBio

Cecilia is a biologist, with master in Ecology and PhD in Environmental Sciences. With two decades of experience working at Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity, has focused…
Speaker Suaad AL HARTHI
Suaad AL HARTHI

Executive Director

Environment Society of Oman

Suaad Al Harthi is a conservation scientist, National Geographic Explorer and the Executive Director of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), Oman’s first and only environmental non-government…
Speaker Carla DANELUTTI
Carla DANELUTTI

Mediterranean program coordinator

IUCN

 15 years of progressively responsible experience in environmental conservation, project management, and internationalcollaboration, aligning closely with the responsibilities and objectives…
Speaker Frank DAMSON
Frank DAMSON

Business, Livelihoods and Value Chain Specialist

WWF

Frank Damson is a sustainability and biodiversity finance specialist with 10+ years’ experience designing and scaling nature-based and green economy solutions across East and Southern Africa. He has…
Speaker Cara MARTEL
Cara MARTEL

Manager of Conservation Breeding & Reintroduction

Re:wild

Cara Martel is a conservation leader specializing in species survival, breeding programs, and ecosystem restoration. As the Manager of Conservation Breeding & Reintroduction at Re:wild, she works…
Speaker Benson KASYOKI
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…
Hiba AL SHEHHI
Hiba AL SHEHHI