All Speakers

Speaker Ante MANDIĆ
Ante MANDIĆ

Associate Professor

University of Split, Split, Croatia

Dr. Ante Mandić is Associate Professor of Sustainable Tourism at the University of Split, Croatia, and Affiliate Faculty at Colorado State University, USA. An internationally recognized expert in...
Speaker Marianela ARAYA
Marianela ARAYA

Program Officer Biodiversity and Health/Invasive Alien Species

Convention on Biological Diversity

Marianela is a biotechnology engineer, with a MSc on Biosafety in plant biotechnology.Marianela started her career working for the private sector in industrial biotechnology and wastewater treatment...
Speaker Daniela CAJIAO
Daniela CAJIAO

Dr.

Wageningen University and Research

Dr. Daniela Cajiao is a post-doctoral researcher. Her research has focused on Antarctic tourism, with a particular emphasis on analyzing the environmental and social dimensions of this activity....
Speaker Andrew WETZLER
Andrew WETZLER

Senior Vice President, Nature Program

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

As senior vice president of NRDC's Nature Program, Andrew Wetzler oversees NRDC's oceans, lands, and food and agriculture teams, and is responsible for providing thought leadership, shaping strategy...
Speaker Derek GLIDDON
Derek GLIDDON

Director Environmental Science Developement

Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Derek Gliddon is an environmental informatics and research leader with over 30 years of international experience advancing biodiversity conservation, environmental governance, and sustainable...
Speaker Tinne VAN DER STRAETEN
Tinne VAN DER STRAETEN

Member of Parliament

Belgian Federal Parliament

Tinne Van der Straeten is a member of the Belgian Federal Parliament. She served as Federal Energy Minister between October 2020 and January 2025.  During her term, she accelerated the energy...
Speaker John KAMANGA
John KAMANGA

Director

SORALO

With a background training in Anthropology and community development, John has worked with various communities across the country, especially in rural areas of Kenya, for over fifteen years....
Speaker Pria GHOSH
Pria GHOSH

Species and Science Manager

Synchronicity Earth

I manage Synchronicity Earth's Amphibian Programme, working to catalyse action and resources for amphibian conservation globally. Previously, I researched the ecology and evolution of...
Speaker Consuelo ESPINOZA
Consuelo ESPINOZA

Regional Program Coordinator

IUCN SUR

An Ecuadorian environmental economist with 25 years of experience in project management in Latin America and globally, covering forestry, climate change, biodiversity, conservation, and human rights...
Speaker Kamal BOU ASSI
Kamal BOU ASSI

Projects Development Unit Coordinator

Al Shouf Cedar Society - Shouf Biosphere Reserve

Kamal Bou Assi, member of Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR), Lebanon. Since 2008, part of a team of 70 full timer and more than 150 seasonal staff. Kamal coordinated the Biosphere Reserve's...
Speaker Olivier LANGRAND
Olivier LANGRAND

Executive Director, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

For the past ten years, Olivier Langrand has been the executive director of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a multi-donor fund dedicated to protecting biodiversity hotspots through...
Speaker Alessandra BLASI
Alessandra BLASI
Experienced programme management specialist in the development sector with a demonstrated history of working in the international affairs industry, mostly in the Middle East. She worked with various...
Speaker Antonia Faustina Xuruc Barreno
Antonia Faustina Xuruc Barreno

Administrador Educativa

Asociación CDRO

Name: Antonia Faustina Xuruc BarrenoK'iche' Maya WomanGuatemalanCurrent Position: Director of the Community Environmental System of the CDRO AssociationAcademic Qualifications:Nursing...
Speaker Geraldo CARREIRO
Geraldo CARREIRO

Team Leader

B4Life (EU)

As a natural resource manager with more than 25 years of professional engagement, I focus on sustainable landscapes, the promotion of green and blue economies, and climate-resilient development...
Speaker Natalia DANILINA
Natalia DANILINA

Director

Environmental Education Centre Zapovedniks

NATALIA DANILINA, PRESIDENT OF THE CHARITABLE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION "Protected Areas EMBASSY", DIRECTOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE ZAPOVEDNIKS. Since 1996 creator and director Zapovedniks...
Speaker Tracy FARRELL
Tracy FARRELL

North America Regional Director

IUCN Secretariat

Speaker Mizuki MURAI
Mizuki MURAI

Senior Programme Coordinator World Heritage

IUCN

Mizuki joined IUCN in 2015 and oversees IUCN’s work on World Heritage. She is the deputy head of IUCN’s delegation at World Heritage Committee meetings, and is the contact point on World Heritage...
Speaker Munir VIRANI
Munir VIRANI

Chief Operating Officer

Mohamed Bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund LLC

Dr. Munir Virani is Chief Executive of the Abu-Dhabi-based Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund dedicated to the protection and conservation of threatened birds of prey...
Speaker Abdrahmane WANE
Abdrahmane WANE

Regional Director for West and Central Africa

ILRI

Dr. Abdrahmane Wane is Principal Scientist and Regional Director for West and Central Africa at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). A development and agricultural economist...
Speaker Ouhoud AL-RAGAM
Ouhoud AL-RAGAM

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

Speaker Manh Hung NGUYEN
Manh Hung NGUYEN

Senior Researcher

The Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue Center

I am a marine ecologist and a seagrass lover.My research philosophy is summarized as "Exploration, Protection, and Application".Exploration: I use seagrasses as model species to explore fundamental...
Speaker John CHEECHOO
John CHEECHOO

Policy Advisor

Inuit Circumpolar Council

Speaker Xiqiang Song
Xiqiang Song

Head of Hainan institute of National Park

Hainan Institute of National Park

Hijaba YKHANBAI
Hijaba YKHANBAI
Speaker Leonie MEIER
Leonie MEIER

Global Lead Ecosystem Restoration and Grasslands and Savannahs

WWF Germany

Leonie Meier is the Global Lead for Ecosystem Restoration and Grasslands & Savannahs at WWF, where she drives initiatives to restore degraded ecosystems and protect biodiversity. With over a...
Speaker Peter FROST
Peter FROST

Senior Urban Officer

Natural Resources Wales

Pete Frost is Natural Resources Wales Urban Green Infrastructure Advisor.  His work is to find ways to ensure there are enough green spaces of the right kinds in the right places to make Wales’...
Speaker Iman EBRAHIMI
Iman EBRAHIMI

Conservationist

AvayeBoom Bird Conservation Society

Bird conservationist and environmental educator with 12 years of experience in bird rehabilitation, bird-watching field training, research related to human-bird connection, and management of 9...