All Speakers

Speaker Michael APPLETON
Michael APPLETON

Senior Adviser

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Thematic Vice Chair, Capacity Development. Mike’s work as a conservation practitioner focuses on applied, area-based conservation, working in more than 40 counties to help establish protected…
Melesha GUNNING-BANHAN
Melesha GUNNING-BANHAN

IUCN Secretariat

Speaker Vinitaa Hemant APTE
Vinitaa Hemant APTE

Founder & Director

TERRE Policy Centre

Dr. Vinitaa a multifaceted personality & founder of TERRE started this NGO with a motto “To think is good but to act is better”. Dr. Apte has an out of the box thinking process and due to which…
Speaker Muzaffar AHMAD
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…
Speaker Jean-Pierre COLIBEAU
Jean-Pierre COLIBEAU

CLS

I am part of CLS, a CNES subsidiary pioneering satellite-based solutions for environmental monitoring. My work focuses on strengthening international cooperation and advancing innovative technologies…
Speaker Shaikha AL ZAABI
Shaikha AL ZAABI

Wasit Wetland Center Guide

ENVIRONMENT AND PROTECTED AREAS AUTHORITY

Mrs. Shaikha Alzaabi serves as a distinguished tour guide at Wasit Wetland Centre, where she combines deep environmental knowledge with exceptional interpretive skills to enrich visitor experiences.…
Speaker Russell MITTERMEIER
Russell MITTERMEIER

Chief Conservation Officer

Re;wild

Russell A. Mittermeier is currently Chief Conservation Officer of Re:wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation), a position he has occupied since 2017. Prior to this position, he served for three…
Speaker YVETTE RUNNING HORSE COLLIN
YVETTE RUNNING HORSE COLLIN

Principal Science Officer

Taku Skan Skan Wasakliyapi: Global Institute for Traditional Science

Dr. Yvette Running Horse Collin (Tašunke Iyanke Wiŋ) is the Executive Director and Principal Science Officer for Taku Skan Skan Wasakliyapi: Global Institute for Traditional Sciences (GIFTS…
Speaker Marcela FERNANDEZ
Marcela FERNANDEZ

Founder

Glacier Nation

 Colombian environmental activist and the founder of Cumbres Blancas, an NGO focused on raising awareness about the rapid disappearance of tropical glaciers. Learning that these are the first to…
Speaker Noor MOHAMED AWADH AL HADHRAMI
Noor MOHAMED AWADH AL HADHRAMI

Analyst – Environment Policy and Regulations

Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi

Environmental Policy and Regulation Analyst at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, with knowledge in biodiversity, fisheries, air quality, climate change, and single-use product policies. Involved in…
Speaker Luigi BOITANI
Luigi BOITANI

Professor of Conservation Biology

IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025

Luigi Boitani is the Chair of the IUCN SSC Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. Luigi is Professor Emeritus at the University of Rome - Sapienza, where he has been teaching Animal Ecology and…
Speaker Harry JONAS
Harry JONAS

Co-Director

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

International lawyer and Senior Director at WWF. 
Speaker Ian CONVERY
Ian CONVERY

Professor of Environment & Society

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Professor Convery has spent the last 25 years working on understanding societal interactions with, connections to, and perceptions of, the ‘natural world’. His current interests are focused on public…
Speaker Patrick SAIDI HEMEDI
Patrick SAIDI HEMEDI

National Coordinator

Dynamique des Groupes des Peuples Autochtones

Détenteur d'un diplome de Master en sécurité environnementale et rechauffement climatique. Defenseur acharné des droits des peuples autochtones pygmées en République Démocratique du Congo.…
Speaker Joanna WOLSTENHOLME
Joanna WOLSTENHOLME

Senior Programme Manager, Nature Finance

UNEP-WCMC

Joanna is a Senior Programme Officer in the Nature Economy team at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Her work focuses on finance for nature, looking at…
Speaker Nasrin SULEIMAN
Nasrin SULEIMAN

Business Development & Campaign Senior Manager

GOUMBOOK FZCO

Nasrin Suleiman is an environmental sustainability professional with over a decade of experience driving initiatives in biodiversity conservation, climate action, and nature-based solutions. At…
Speaker Amna AL DHOORI
Amna AL DHOORI

Wasit Wetland Center Guide

ENVIRONMENT AND PROTECTED AREAS AUTHORITY

Amna ALdhoori – Environmental Guide and Safety LeaderWith over a decade of experience in environmental guidance, Amna ALdhoori  stands out as a dedicated professional committed to ecological…
Speaker Orlando HABET
Orlando HABET

Minister

Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management

Speaker Long Thang HA
Long Thang HA

Chairman

GreenViet Biodiversity Conservation Centre

I am currently working with the Frankfurt Zoological Society. I began working in the field of nature conservation in 1999 with the Primate Rescue Center, Cuc Phuong National Park. In 2009, I…
Speaker Pierre CARRET
Pierre CARRET

Grant Director

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

Pierre Carret is an agronomist and expert in biodiversity conservation. For the last twenty years he has worked on nature conservation programs with several international organizations. His career…
Speaker Neil COUSINS
Neil COUSINS

Founder

Bluedot

I am the founder and Director of Bluedot. He is an international marine biodiversity advisor with 27+ years' international experience. I have been resident as a working marine scientist in the UK,…
Speaker Karl BURKART
Karl BURKART

Deputy Director

One Earth

Karl Burkart has been at the forefront of scientific research that explores the connections between human systems, the natural world, and climate change. Formerly the Director of Science &…
Speaker Hessa AL-QAHTANI
Hessa AL-QAHTANI

Conservation Programs Unit Head

Al Ain Zoo

Working as Conservation Programs Unit Head
Speaker Jessica FìOR-BERRY
Jessica FìOR-BERRY

Policy Lead

IUCN UK Peatland Programme

I am the Policy Lead at the IUCN UK Peatland Programme. I have a PhD from the University of Leeds (supervised by Prof. Joseph Holden and Dr. Richard Grayson), where I studied the impacts of track…
Speaker Tara SHYAM
Tara SHYAM

Director

Regen10

Tara Shyam leads Regen10, an international, multistakeholder initiative committed to advancing a global food system that inclusively supports healthier people, nature, and climate. Tara is a…
Speaker Fernanda CRUZ RIBEIRO
Fernanda CRUZ RIBEIRO

Director, Institutional Partnerships, Conservation Science

PANTHERA FRANCE

Fernanda Ribeiro is the Director of Institutional Partnerships at Panthera, coordinating and executing Panthera’s high-level engagement with governments, key institutions and conservation…
Speaker Joseph ITONGWA MUKUMO
Joseph ITONGWA MUKUMO

Indigenous Expert

ANAPAC - RDC

Joseph Itongwa Mukumo is Walikale from the North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Graduated in Rural Development, he is the Founder and Co-ordinator of PIDP-SHIRIKA LA BAMBUTI (…
Speaker Margaret Otieno
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…