All Speakers

Lukasz CZERWINSKI

Karim HAGGAR

Senior Advisor (Conservation & Biodiversity)

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Dr. Karim Haggar, WCPA member and IUCN Congress ambassador, is a Senior Advisor at Roland Berger, where he focuses on nature conservation and biodiversity, with a broader emphasis on ESG,…

YUSUKE SAITO

Deputy Director

Ministry of the Environment, Japan

Deputy Director, Biodiversity Strategy Office, Ministry of the Environment, Japan

Yuanqing HOU

Deputy Secretary General

China Green Carbon Foundation

Hou Yuanqing has long been engaged in domestic and foreign cooperation projects in the fields of forestry carbon sequestration, forestry addressing climate change, and biodiversity conservation. He…

Hessa AL-QAHTANI

Conservation Programs Unit Head

Al Ain Zoo

Working as Conservation Programs Unit Head

M. Purificació CANALS

Global Network of MPA Manager Networks- Coordinator

Global Network of MPA Manager Networks/Underwater Gardens International

Purificació Canals has a BSc and a PhD in Biological Sciences from Barcelona University (1986 and 1996). She works as international consultant on marine and coastal conservation and is the…

Kitty TAM

Programme Lead

Civic Exchange

Kitty Tam is the Programme Lead of Hong Kong 2050 is Now. In her role, she aims to influence and encourage societies to adopt rapid, deep, and sustained climate actions, while promoting a nature-…

Tirtha Prasad Saikia

Director

North-East Affected Area Development Society

Tirtha Prasad Saikia is a frontline development activist, deeply rooted in the civil society landscape with a strong foundation in grassroots experience, passion, and visionary leadership. He serves…

Rachel MARTIN

Technical Manager

Nature Positive Initiative

Rachel is a passionate conservationist dedicated to tackling complex conservation challenges through in-depth research and technical analysis. Currently pursuing a DPhil at the University of Oxford,…

Margaux YSEBAERT

Communications Officer

IUCN

Margaux leads the communication efforts of the Protected and Conserved Areas Team, driving projects that connect EU policy with conservation priorities across all territories. Her work spans a wide…

Ruth TIFFER SOTOMAYOR

Senior Environmental Specialist

The World Bank

Ruth Tiffer Sotomayor is a Senior Environmental Specialist at the Global Environment Deparment of the World Bank with over 25 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration,…

Samuel Geller

Senior Protected and Conserved Areas Advisor

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Samuel Geller is a Senior Protected and Conserved Areas Advisor for Environment Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Canadian Wildlife Service. In his role, Sam leads an ECCC Screening Task Team…

Francisco JIMéNEZ GONZáLEZ

Technical Officer

IUCN

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…

Deni POREJ

Director Marine Conservation

Neom

Dr. Deni Porej is the Marine Conservation Director at NEOM, where he leads one of the world’s most ambitious marine conservation programs. Overseeing 4,000 km² of pristine northern Red Sea waters, he…

Helga Katharina Mahler

Project Director

GIZ PANORAMA

Helga Katharina Mahler is a Project Director at GIZ, author, and humanitarian, working transdisciplinarily and transculturally to drive sustainable transformation. She co-coordinates the global…

Shalini DHYANI

Principal Scientist

CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)

Shalini Dhyani is a Principal Scientist at the Environmental Impact Assessment, Audit and Policy Division of CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, India.Shalini is known…

Noelle KUMPEL

Senior Policy Advisor

BirdLife International

Noëlle has over 25 years’ experience in conservation research, project/programme management and policy, including five years in the field in Africa and Asia and doctoral/postdoctoral research on the…

Hariharan JANARDHANAN

NYUAD

Hesham El-Askary

Professor

Chapman University

Prof. El-Askary received his Ph.D. in Computational Sciences and Informatics from George Mason University in 2004 along with his two MS degrees in Computational sciences and Earth Systems Sciences.…

SEONGHWAN JO

Head of Visitor Service Division

Korea National Park Service

Ph. D. in Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University in Cheong-ju City, South KoreaServing at the Korea National Park Service since 2014Research AchievmentStudy on the…

Peter COCHRANE

Councillor

TierraMar Ltd

Peter was elected in 2016 as a member of the Council of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), re-elected to Council in 2021 and appointed as one of four IUCN Vice Presidents.…

Zhao ZHAO

partnership coordinator

Shan Shui Conservation Center

Meaad ABDULLAH

Director of Impact & Director of the Tree Library

AEON Collective

Meaad Abdullah is a systems-oriented professional dedicated to impact-driven development. She serves as Director of Impact at AEON Collective and Director of the Tree Library, where she leads cross-…

Priscilla YU

Program Officer, Forests

WWF

Abir BEN ROMDHANE

Environementalist

Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel

Abir Ben Romdhane is a senior expert in water, biodiversity, and sustainable development, with over 13 years of experience in environmental policy advice, project coordination, and strategic planning…

Atef OUERGHI

Programme Officer

UNEP-MAP-SPA/RAC

Jacinta ABALAKA

National Programme Coordinator

Society for Sustainability and Conservation Education for Rural Areas (SCERA)

Jacinta Abalaka is a conservation biologist with over 20 years experience in capacity building in conservation and ecology, and 10 years experience in grant and resource management. She has worked…