All Speakers

Rahul Chand

Protected and Conserved Areas Coordinator

IUCN Secretariat

Gray THORNTON

President and CEO

Wild Sheep Foundation

Gray N. Thornton is President & CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) the world’s leading wild sheep conservation organization. Prior to joining WSF, Thornton served 18 years in leadership…

Neil COX

Manager, Biodiversity Assessment Unit

IUCN and Conservation International

Neil Cox is the Manager of the Biodiversity Assessment Unit, a joint initiative of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International, based in Washington,…

Victoria SAWCHUK

GCELS Staff Student Intern

Center for Environmental Legal Studies

Victoria Sawchuk is a Staff Student Intern at the Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies (GCELS) and a J.D. Candidate (Class of 2026) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.…

Mathias ROCHELEAU-DUPLAIN

Directeur général

Mycosphaera

I am the Director of Mycosphaera, the first non-profit organization in Canada dedicated to mushroom conservation. Mycosphaera also works to promote mycology, fungal conservation, and scientific…

Zoe JAFFLIN

Programme and Grants Associate

IUCN Secretariat

Duska DIMOVIC

Consultant

KANA

Senior professional with 25 years of experience in nature conservation and management of natural resources, of which more than 10 years in leadership roles in an international setting. Key areas of…

Meerah ALZAABI

María Belén MONCAYO

Abogada

IUCN ORMACC

María Belén Moncayo Benalcázar is Ecuadorian and has been living in Central America for seven years. She holds a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and a master's degree in…

Charlotte KARIBUHOYE SAID

CEO & Founder, Interface pour la Nature

Interface pour la Nature

Charlotte is CEO and Founder of Interface pour la Nature, an advisory and consulting company for environmental sustainability. She worked previously as Head of strategic alliances and West Africa…

Pablo CRIMER

Vice chair para America del Sur

IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy 2021-2025

Regional Vice Chair, South America Pablo Crimer has more than 15 years’ experience providing legal advice on environmental, social, governance and sustainability matters to corporations. He…

Ferdinando DIDONNA

MSC

SOCIETA' SPELEOLOGICA ITALIANA ETS

Having graduated in forestry sciences in Bari in 1998, today I work in cooperation with Latin America countries as a consultant for a European technical assistance company in the fields of rural and…

Byambadorj ENKHUUN

Co-Founder & Director of Operations

Breathe Mongolia - Clean Air Coalition

Enkhuun Byambadorj is an environmental rights advocate. Witnessing her loved ones suffer from air pollution, she co-founded Breathe Mongolia at 18, a nonprofit working to transform policies,…

Abdul Rahman MOHAMMED ALSHAYEB

Acting Director General

Environment Protection & Development Authority

Dr. Abdulrahman Al Shayeb Al Naqbi Dr. Al Naqbi currently serves as the Director General for Ras Al Khaimah Economic Development Department, Acting as Director General for RAK…

Erin McCreless

Director, Science and Monitoring

Rainforest Trust

Dr. Erin McCreless is a conservation scientist with 20 years of experience working on the biological and socioeconomic aspects of biodiversity conservation. At Rainforest Trust she leads the Science…

Joshua KLEMM

Executive Director

International Rivers

Josh leads the management of International Rivers’ strategy, programs, operations, and finances. He joined International Rivers in 2014 as Policy Director to lead the work targeting the world’s major…

Jean-Christophe VIE

Directeur Général

Fondation Franklinia

Dr Jean-Christophe Vié is Director General of Fondation Franklinia, a Swiss foundation dedicated to the conservation of globally threatened tree species. He was recruited to develop the foundation in…

Khaled ASFAHANI

CEO of General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in The R

General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in The Red Sea

Dr. Khaled Asfahani is the CEO of SHAMS – the world’s first national entity dedicated to coral reef and sea turtle conservation. He also serves as Co-Chair of the International Coral Reef Initiative…

Kyung Sik WOO

Chair, IUCN WCPA Geohritage Specialist Group

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Jatna SUPRIATNA

Chairman

Research Center for Climate Change ISER FMIPA UI

Prof. Jatna Supriatna is one of Indonesia’s foremost conservation biologists, with a distinguished academic and professional career spanning decades. He earned his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in…

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…

Jon Paul RODRIGUEZ

Presidente

PROVITA

Jon Paul Rodríguez has been working for the conservation of Venezuelan species and ecosystems since he was a biology undergraduate at Universidad Central of Venezuela (UCV) in the late eighties. With…

Sonam WANGDI

Chief of Division

Nature Conservation Division

Mr. Sonam Wangdi currently works as the Chief of the Nature Conservation Division under the Department of Forests and Park Services of the Royal Government of Bhutan. As the Chief of this Division,…

Maitha ALMHEIRI

Biologist

Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

Maitha Abdulla Al Mheiri is a biologist in the Biodiversity Management Department at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. With over five years of national and international experience…

Yue FEI

Ministry of Natural Resources of China

Jorge Alberto Oviedo Machuca

Director Ejecutivo

Environmental Investment Fund of El Salvador (FIAES)

Specialist in conservation finance and the development of financial architecture for plans, programs, and projects related to sustainable agriculture and livestock, protected natural areas and…

julio JOAO

Projecto CBA- SCALE-REED +

Provincial Government of Inhambane

Júlio João Graduated in Agricultural Sciences from the Catholic University I worked for 25 years in the districts, assisting local communities in improving their livelihoods. About half of this time…

Georgina PEREIRA

Species Survival Manager

Terra, Expo City Dubai

Georgie is a desert ecologist based out of the United Arab Emirates. She specializes in mycology, fungal conservation, and environmental education. She leads the IUCN SSC Centre for Species…