All Speakers

Abil Castañeda

Executive Director

Protected Areas Conservation Trust

Mr. Abil Castañeda is the Executive Director at the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), Belize’s national conservation trust. He is responsible for steering the Trust’s strategic direction,…

Jean-Mary TJIOHIMBA

The SAN Vision Foundation (TSVF)

Jean-Mary Tjiohimba is an Indigenous human rights defender and advocate for the San people, renowned for her tireless work in defending the rights of Indigenous communities. She has spoken on global…

Martin VISBECK

CEO OceanQuest

OceanQuest

Prof. Dr. Martin Visbeck, CEO of OceanQuest. He spearheads the foundation's mission to accelerate ocean discovery, drive innovation in the field, support global cooperation, and excite the public. He…

Nathaniel NG

Southeast Asia Programme Coordinator

SHOAL

Nathaniel is a conservation biologist by training, with research background in population and conservation genomics. While his doctoral work was conducted on avian diversification and evolution in…

Kolawolé Saïd HOUNKPONOU

Directeur Général de l'Eau

Direction Générale de l'Eau / Ministère de l'Energie, de l'Eau et des Mines

Mr. HOUNKPONOU Kolawolé Saïd, a Beninese national, began his professional career as a research assistant at the National Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in 2004 after obtaining his Agro-…

Peter James STEPHENSON

Chair, IUCN SSC Species Monitoring SG

IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group

PJ is an independent conservation consultant based in Switzerland. He has been involved in species research and conservation for over 30 years. His monitoring-related work started in 1985-6 when he…

Umang BHATTARAI

Energy Specialist

Asian Development Bank

Umang is an Energy Specialist at under the Energy Sector Group at the Asian Development Bank. He is responsible for the origination, processing, financing, and implementation of loans, grants, and…

David SMETANA

Principal Consultant

Esri

Mr. Smetana is a Geographer and Principal Consultant with Esri Professional Services. He advises Esri's nonprofit and government customers, global distributors, and business partners on geospatial…

Alice MACHARIA

V.P. Africa Programs

The Jane Goodall Institute

Alice Macharia serves as the Vice President of Africa Programs for the Jane Goodall Institute, where she develops and implements JGI’s community-led conservation strategies. As part of the…

Anastasiia Drapaliuk

expert on PAs

Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group

EDUCATION: 2009 – 2011 University of Klagenfurt, Austria, Master of Science in Management of Protected Areas, 1993 – 1998 West Ukrainian National University, Ukraine, Master of Science in Accounting…

Marian GAUNA

Senior Marine Projects Officer

IUCN Secretariat

Marian Gauna is a Fijian professional with extensive experience in marine conservation, project management, and administrative support. Her career demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental…

Kurt ALT

Conservation Director, Montana and International

Wild Sheep Foundation

Kurt Alt is the Wild Sheep Foundation Conservation Director for Montana and International wild sheep and goat programs. He holds a Masters of Science degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from…

Chimeddorj BUYANAA

Conservation director

WWF Mongolia

Mr. B. Chimeddorj is a wildlife biologist with special focus on antelope conservation works in Mongolia. He was a researcher at the Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS). In 2007…

Pragyan Raj POKHREL

Senior Programme Officer

IUCN

Pragyan Raj Pokhrel is an ecosystem restoration and socio-economics expert with over a decade of experience at the intersection of community-based conservation, land degradation, and sustainable…

Julian SANTIAGO

IPLC researcher

Instituto Juruá

Julian Monteiro Santiago is a researcher at Instituto Juruá and a Master’s student in Protected Areas Management in the Amazon. His work focuses on participatory governance, biodiversity conservation…

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,…

Margaret Otieno

National Coordinator

Wildlife Clubs of Kenya

Deputy Chair Dr Margaret Otieno is the CEO/National Coordinator of Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, a national NGO targeting the youth and communities with Conservation Education. Margaret is also a board…

Oliver TALLOWIN

Wildlife Use and Trade

IUCN

Oliver Tallowin is a senior conservation scientist with over seven years of experience in sustainable wildlife trade, specialising in species-related multilateral environmental agreements such as…

Ted SCHMITT

Senior Director, OlmoEarth Partnerships

Allen Institute for AI

Ted Schmitt is the Senior Director of Conservation at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Ai2). He leads partner engagement for the OlmoEarth program, an open-source AI platform that…

Alexandra HARRINGTON

Chair, Plastic Pollution Task Force

IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law 2021-2025

Dr. Alexandra R. Harrington is Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Agreement on Plastic Pollution Task Force, a Researcher at the University of Ottawa and a Visiting Scholar…

Xiandong JING

Chairman

Ant Group

Mr. Eric Jing is the Chairman of Ant Group. He joined Alibaba Group in 2007 and was appointed President of Ant Group in June 2015. Eric served as the Chairman and CEO of Ant Group from April 2018 to…

Mar CARRASCO

Head of Veterinary Division

Ekthar

Meera ALSHAMSI

Jill HOCKADAY

Conservation Programs Communication Advisor

Wilder Institute

Jill Hockaday - Conservation Programs Communication AdvisorJill has been with the Wilder Institute since 2008. She communicates the Wilder Institute’s conservation work with external audiences…

Marianne DE BEER

Communications and Public Affairs Manager

Communications Manager and Members contact at IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands. I am an experienced communications specialist with over 5 years of expertise in strategic communication…

Michael COOPERMAN

Fish & Fisheries Ecologist

PlusFish Philanthropy

A fish and fisheries ecologist specializing in research and management of inland fisheries of the developing nations of the tropics. Founder and principal of PlusFish Philanthropy, from which grants…

Jennifer MAKAMBO

Expert in inclusive sustainable development

GYBN-Québec

Holder of an M.Sc. in International Development Management and Humanitarian Action with a specialization in Gender and Development, Jennifer is an expert in inclusive sustainable development. She is…

Sheena KHAN

Head of Environmental Progams

Terra, Expo City Dubai

Sheena Khan is Head of Environmental Programs at Terra, where she designs and leads nature-focused programs across themes of urban biodiversity, citizen science, fungi, nature therapy, and…