All Speakers

Candice STEVENS

Founder and CEO: Sustainable Finance Coalition

Sustainable Finance Coalition

Candice Stevens leads the Sustainable Finance Coalition and is Co-Chair of the IUCN WCPA Sustainable Finance Specialist Group. Candice is a visionary in green finance and sustainable solutions and…

Mark VAN DER WAL

Senior Ecologist - Focal point Extractives

IUCN National Committee of The Netherlands

Tropical ecologist by training. I have worked the 1st 14 year of my career in, mostly very remote settings, in S.America, East Indonesia and Central Africa. Since 2004, based in Amsterdam and working…

Olivier STAEHLI

CEO and Co-Founder

Synature

Olivier Staehli (26, Zurich, Switzerland) is the co-founder and CEO of Synature, a startup using AI and sound to revolutionize animal monitoring across agriculture, aquaculture, and nature. Devoted…

Ying LI

Ministry of Natural Resources of China

Marina REQUENA MORA

Postdoctoral Researcher

Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona

Marina Requena-i-Mora is a passionate Valencian sociologist dedicated to unravelling the complex relationship between society and the environment. Using diverse qualitative and quantitative…

Agnes Leina NTIKAAMPI

Indigenous Expert

Il’laramatak Community Concern

Agnes Leina comes from Northern part of Kenya, Samburu County, inhabited mainly by the Samburu community, a sub sect of the Maasai peoples of Kenya, who are also mainly pastoralists and very…

Rantonirina RAKOTOARIDERA

Point Focal CDB Madagascar

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

Forestry engineer. Graduated from the Higher School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar. I currently work at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development…

Nizar HANI

Minister of Agriculture

Lebanon

Dr. Nizar Hani has been serving as Minister of Agriculture in the Republic of Lebanon since February 8, 2025. He brings extensive experience in the fields of environmental protection, protected areas…

Mehdi AJANA

HEAD OF STRATEGY AND PARTNERSHIPS

NABAT

After several years in strategy consulting and technology commercialization, I recently joined Nabat, driven by a mission to build meaningful tools that support the urgent work of protecting and…

Hipolitus Januar POGO

Regional Engagement Officer

LTKL

Hipolitus Januar Pogo is a professional dedicated to sustainable development and the empowerment of indigenous communities. A Mathematics graduate, he serves as the Regional Coordinator for…

Jessica WALSH

Lecturer in Ecology

Queensland University of Technology

Dr Walsh is leading the development of the Green Status of Ecosystems, which measures recovery of ecosystem types and evaluates the impact restoration and conservation has had ecosystem integrity and…

Patience GANDIWA

Director International Conservation Affairs

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Professor Patience Gandiwa has accumulated 18 years of professional experience in wildlife conservation. She began her tenure with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife…

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…

MEGOLHUSAU BANO HARALU

Project Lead WCS India (IUCN/ITHCP Phase II)

Wildlife Conservation Society -India

Bano Haralu is a veteran journalist turned conservationist. Her work in 2012, has been instrumental in saving the migratory Amur Falcon from being slaughtered in thousands every year In the…

Olivier HABIMANA

Regional Programme Delivery Manager, GEF/GCF

IUCN

Olivier Habimana is an experienced program manager and agro-ecological economist with expertise in climate resilience, market systems development, sustainable finance, private sector development and…

Ameyali RAMOS

Deputy Chair, CEESP

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

Commission Deputy Chair Ameyali Ramos is currently the Deputy Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP). Ameyali has more than 20 years of experience…

R. Keller KOPF

Senior Lecturer

Charles Darwin University

Dr. Keller Kopf is a Senior Lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Australia. His research combines field, laboratory and statistical modelling approaches to address applied and fundamental…

Andréanne BLAIS

Directrice générale

Conseils régional de l'environnement du Centre-du-Québec

Andréanne Blais is a passionate biologist and an influential figure in the field of environmental protection in Quebec. She is the Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Council of Centre-…

Shamma MUSABBEH AL KAABI

Biologist

Ministry Of Climate Change and Environment

Biologist in the Biodiversity Department at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), holding an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of Leeds. Possesses a…

Anne-Sophie LAPOINTE

International Affairs Advisor

Gouvernement du Québec

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…

Santiago RUGERONI

Animal Care Supervisor - Birds

Al Ain Zoo

Santiago Rugeroni is the Animal Care Supervisor for the bird collection at Al Ain Zoo, overseeing avian welfare, enrichment, and habitat design. With over 14 years of zoo experience from Buenos Aires…

Francesco SINDICO

Professor

University of St

Francesco Sindico is a Professor of International Environmental Law at the University of Strathclyde Law School in Glasgow, Scotland. He is also the Founder and Director of the Climate Change Legal…

Paloma CARRILLO

Directora Ejecutiva

FUNDACION PROAVES DE COLOMBIA

I am a Certified Public Accountant with a specialization in Managerial Accounting and over 17 years of experience at ProAves, an organization dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity in Colombia…

Rohitesh DHAWAN

President and CEO

International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)

Rohitesh “Ro” Dhawan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). He leads the Council of 26 CEOs of the world’s largest mining & metals…

Yassir HAMDAN AL KHARUSI

Specialist – Animal Assessment and Monitoring

Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi (EAD)

I am Yassir Hamdan Al Kharusi, working at Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) as a wildlife monitoring and assessment specialist. I conduct wildlife baseline surveys in Abu Dhabi protected areas…

Liliana NÚÑEZ VELIS

Presidenta

Fundación Antonio Nuñez Jiménez de la Naturaleza y el hombre

Liliana Núñez Velis Born in Havana, she graduated in History. Currently, she is the president of the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation (FANJ), which is based in Havana and has several…

Shaikha Al Dhaheri

Secretary General

Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)

Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri serves as the Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East. Since her appointment…