All Speakers

Muzaffar AHMAD

Senior Environment Specialist

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Muzaffar Ahmad is a Senior Environment Specialist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), where his work is dedicated to ensuring that large-scale infrastructure investments are…

Mahra SAEED ALREMEITHI

UAEU

Mahra is an aspiring professional with experience in sustainability, women’s empowerment, and employability development. She has participated in programs such as the Nomu Al Ghurair Women Empowerment…

Marco BAROTTI

Artist

Studio Marco Barotti

Marco Barotti is a media artist. After music studies at the Siena Jazz Academy, he began merging sound with visual art. His work is driven by a desire to invent an artistic language in which a…

Charles KNAPP

Vice President

John G. Shedd Aquarium

I am a conservation science practitioner working for the past 30 years to save endangered species. I work at the nexus of the zoological, academic, governmental, and traditional conservation spaces…

Melanie ZURBA

CEESP Steering Committee Member/Associate Professor

IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP)/Dalhousie University

Chair, Theme on Governance, Equity and RightsProfessor Zurba’s work focuses on projects that are developed and implemented in collaboration with communities. Professor Zurba has worked…

Kelvin Geovanni Criollo Merino

Youth Representative

Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance

Kelvin Geovanni Criollo Merino is a 25-year-old Indigenous leader from the Siona nationality of Ecuador. He is currently pursuing two bachelor’s degrees, in Law and Business Administration. As an…

Virginia YOUNG

Senior Research Fellow

Australian Foundation for Wilderness

Virginia Young works with global science leaders to communicate the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem integrity for carbon retention, climate mitigation and adaptation to encourage synergistic…

Abdullah ALZAHRANI

grazing regulation manager

NCVC

I hold a PhD in Rangeland and Forest Sciences and an MSc in Biodiversity. I specialize in rangeland management and grazing regulation.I began my career in the field of natural sciences education as a…

Hala MURAD

President

Dibeen For Environmental Development

Hala S. Murad – Environmental and climate policy expertWork on climate justice advocacy, She holds a master’s degree in socio-ecological science & her thesis on climate change and…

Faria TARUS

Program Officer- Species Conservation

IUCN

Faria Tarus is a conservation professional with over 10 years of experience in biodiversity and natural resource management. She currently serves as a Programme Officer with the International Union…

Edgar PéREZ

Biólogo. Master Internacional en Desarrollo Rural-Local

Munucipalidad de Antigua Guatemala

Edgar Selvin Pérez, a biologist from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, has developed all his work experience in the fields of conservation biology, sustainable rural development, value…

Michael CLIFFORD

Strategy Director

Reverse the Red

A deep love of natural, simplicity, and finding the richest flavors and experiences in life, Michael, with his wife, son, and dog live on thier small urban farm-ecosystem in Kansas, United States. He…

Tiwonge I MZUMARA-GAWA

Senior Lecturer

Malawi University of Science and Technology

Tiwonge I Mzumara-Gawa is an ornithologist, ecologist and conservation biologist by training; and an activist by passion. She is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology, in the Biological Sciences Department,…

Clara L MATALLANA TOBON

Ecóloga

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

I am an Ecologist with a Master’s Degree in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. I currently work as a independent consultant on conservation and restoration projects. My work has focused on…

Vivian Silole KAUNGA

Dung Xuan Nguyen

Head of Division of Ecology and Natural Landscape/NBCA/MAE

Ministry of Agriculture and Environment

Arielle ROMENTEAU

Chargée de mission "Pays en développement & Biodiversité"

Comité national de l’UICN, France

Eduardo CHANKIN CHANCAYUN

Licenciatura

KENATBI A. C.

Eduardo Chankin Chancayun is a descendant of the Lacandon Maya culture, known for maintaining a deep connection with nature. This heritage inspired him to found and lead Kenatbi AC, an organization…

KADDU KIWE SEBUNYA

Chief Executive Officer

african wildlife foundation

Kaddu Kiwe Sebunya is a prominent conservation leader, serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) since 2019. With over 30 years of experience spanning grassroots…

Nicolas PILCHER

Executive Director

Marine Research Foundation

Dr. Nicolas Pilcher has spent the last 35 years working on marine research and conservation projects throughout the Indo-Pacific. He is the Founder and Director of the Marine Research Foundation, a…

Ralph REGENVANU

Hon Minister

Vanuatu

Ralph Regenvanu is Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management. He is currently serving his sixth term as a Member of…

Maria FEDOROVA

Strategic Partnerships and Projects

INSEAD Hoffmann institute

Maria Fedorova is a senior social impact and education professional with over 10 years of global experience in the education and sustainability sectors. Her work focuses on building strategic multi-…

Axel HOCHKIRCH

Curator for Ecology

Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg

Axel Hochkirch is Head of Conservation Biology at the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg and associate professor in the Department of Biogeography at Trier University, Germany. He…

Siobhan MCQUAID

Director

Trinity College Dublin / Horizon Nua

Siobhan McQuaid, PhD, is Associate Director of Innovation in the Centre for Social Innovation in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. She manages a portfolio of 'Working with…

Eilish Kathleen FARRELLY

Research Assistant

University of Oxford

Éilish Farrelly is a Research Assistant co-leading the forward-looking 'NATURE Impacts' initiative in collaboration with WWF, which tracks progress and sets priorities for nature recovery at the…

Obaid Ali Humaid Al Shamsi

Head of Marine Biodiversity Section

Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

Obaid Alshamsi is Head of the Marine Biodiversity Section at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. He specializes in ecology and environmental biology, with a focus on biodiversity…

Kristin SMITHERS

Advocacy and Development Officer

Wilderness Foundation Africa

Kristin Smithers is the Advocacy and Development Officer at Wilderness Foundation Africa, specialising in strategic advocacy, development, and public affairs. She has extensive experience managing…

SEEMA KULSHRESHTHA