All Speakers

Speaker Soumaya AYADI
Soumaya AYADI

President

Association for Community and environment - ACE

Dr. Ayadi-Maasri, president and lead scientist/geologist at ACE-Association for Community and Environment (www.ace4ce.org), focuses in her work on the valorisation of geodiversity, protection of...
Speaker Alla Aleksanyan
Alla Aleksanyan

senior researcher

HH GAA A. TAKHTAJYANI ANVAN BUSABANUTYAN INSTITUT

Dr. Alla Aleksanyan is a leading Armenian conservation biologist and Head of the Department of Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Studies at the International Scientific-Educational Center of NAS of...
Speaker Emma MEDERIC
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...
Speaker Malidadi LANGA
Malidadi LANGA

Chairman

Alliance for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Conservation in Africa (AICA)

Malidadi Langa holds a Masters degree in Economics and is a career development professional and decentralisation specialist whose career spans over 20 years of pro-poor rural development programming...
Speaker Julie MELBOURNE
Julie MELBOURNE

Manager Environmental Services Unit

Nyamba Buru Yawuru

Julie Melbourne holds a Bachelor of Laws and brings more than 30 years’ experience working alongside Indigenous communities in the Kimberley. Her work has spanned native title claims, negotiations...
Speaker Amy BYRNE
Amy BYRNE

Global Tree Conservation Manager of Strategic Partnerships

The Morton Arboretum

Amy graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors of Science degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Since then, Amy has continued to develop her...
Speaker Penny BECKER
Penny BECKER

Chief Executive Officer

Island Conservation

Penny joined Island Conservation in January 2020 and then became the organization's Chief Executive Officer in 2024. She has a passion for learning and practicing leadership around conservation...
Speaker Mirta PEREIRA
Mirta PEREIRA

Asesora Socio-Jurídica de la FAPI

Federación por la Autodeterminación de los Pueblos Indígenas

Mirta Pereira is the legal authority of the Federation for the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples (FAPI).    
Speaker Alexis KOVACH
Alexis KOVACH

Technical Lead

Conservation International

Speaker María Teresa VARGAS RÍOS
María Teresa VARGAS RÍOS

Fundación Natura Bolivia

Maria Teresa Vargas is a force of nature — a journalist by training, a conservationist by passion, and a strategist by necessity. Based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, she stands at the intersection of...
Speaker Andrew TERRY
Andrew TERRY

Director of Conservation and Policy

Zoological Society of London

Andrew Terry is Director of Conservation and Policy for the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a global science-led conservation organisation working to restore wildlife in the UK and round the...
Speaker Alec CRAWFORD
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...
Speaker Mark DIMECH
Mark DIMECH

Marine Director

9808U66216

Dr. Mark Dimech, obtained his Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences, at the University of Wales, Bangor, U.K. He has 25 years’ experience in Fisheries data collection, stock assessment and Fisheries...
Speaker Jean-Charles DJELALIAN
Jean-Charles DJELALIAN

Chief Sustainability Officer

Solvay

Engineer by education, I started my career in the administration. The United Nations had just launched the Global Compact and I had to engage French industries on Sustainability. Later on, I joined...
Speaker María José GONZáLEZ BERNAT
María José GONZáLEZ BERNAT

Director of the Oceans Program

AIDA

Maria Jose Gonzalez-Bernat is a biologist with over 16 years of experience and results in marine, coastal and estuarine ecosystem management and conservation.  She is originally from Guatemala...
Speaker Jona OLAVSDOTTIR
Jona OLAVSDOTTIR

PhD Researcher

Centre for Nature-based Solutions, Aarhus University

I am a PhD fellow at the Centre for Nature-based Solutions at Aarhus University, where I research governance processes and the implementation of nature-based solutions. Before joining academia, I...
Speaker Vasanti RAO
Vasanti RAO

Director General

Centre for Media Studies (CMS)

Nature Education for Sustainability Co-Chair & South and Southeastern Asia Regional Vice ChairDr (Ms) Vasanti Rao is the Director General of CMS (Centre for Media Studies) - a research based...
Speaker Michael Esgro
Michael Esgro

Senior Biodiversity Program Manager & Tribal Liaison

California Ocean Protection Council

Senior Biodiversity Program Manager & Tribal Liaison at the California Ocean Protection Council/California Natural Resources Agency
Speaker Midori PAXTON
Midori PAXTON

Director - UNDP Nature Hub

United Nations Development Programme

Midori Paxton is the Director of the UNDP Nature Hub within the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.  Under the UNDP Nature Pledge for 2030, Midori leads UNDP’s work to support over 140...
Speaker Britta HACKENBERG
Britta HACKENBERG

Senior Technical Associate

Namibia Nature Foundation

I am a passionate female conservationist with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Forestry and Land Use Management, an Engineer degree in Landscape Design and 18 years’ work experience in the field of...
Speaker Dilys ROE
Dilys ROE

Principal Researcher (Biodiversity)

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

Dr Dilys Roe is the biodiversity lead at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) – a UK-based sustainable development think tank – and Chair of the CEESP-SSC Sustainable...
Speaker Guido BERGUIDO
Guido BERGUIDO

Executive Director

ADOPTA BOSQUE

Guido C. Berguido is originally from Panama City.  He earned his Bachelor's degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Panama, followed by a Master's degree in Tourism Administration...
Speaker EDOUARD CLAUDE JEAN
EDOUARD CLAUDE JEAN

Directeur

CAPTE

EdouardJEAN is the co-founder of the CAPTE project. An agroforestry consultant, he is the director of the association Les Amis de CAPTE Tunisie and President of CAPTE SAS in France. He has...
Speaker Marina VON WEISSENBERG
Marina VON WEISSENBERG

Senior Ministerial Adviser

Ministry of the Environment, Finland

www.linkedIn.com Twitter @Marina64 Facebook Marina von Weissenberg
Speaker Guilherme OLIVEIRA
Guilherme OLIVEIRA

Scientific Director

Vale Institute of Technology

Dr. Oliveira’s current work focuses on describing the biodiversity of the amazon, from a molecular perspective, with the use of DNA barcoding, genomics, and proteomics approaches. Extensive use of...
Speaker Ilysa IGLESIAS
Ilysa IGLESIAS

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

As an ocean scientist, I am deeply interested in the ecological connections between ocean twilight zone communities and the broader ocean ecosystem. My current research as a Postdoctoral Fellow at...
Speaker VANESSA ROBITZCH
VANESSA ROBITZCH

Conservation Program Manager

The General Organization for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea (SHAMS)

Vanessa Robitzch (PhD) is a marine biologist specializing in coral reef ecology, population genetics, and conservation. She currently manages the conservation program at the General Organization for...