A team of conservation practitioners
from around the world
Dr. Alifereti Tawake
Fiji
Alifereti Tawake is the Fijian Council Chair and Technical Advisor of the Locally-managed Marine Area Network (LMMA) International Network. He has worked for over 20 years in facilitating multi-party dialogues on the protection and restoration of coastal and marine resources and promoting sustainable development.
Dr. Aparajita Datta
India
Aparajita Datta is a senior scientist at India's Nature Conservation Foundation and co-chair of the IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group. Her work focuses on research and conservation of hornbills, plant-animal interactions, and partnering with indigenous communities for conservation efforts.
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren
Mongolia
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren is Regional Conservation Coordinator for the International Snow Leopard Trust and founder of the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia. She has dedicated over 20 years to snow leopard conservation and working with local communities to promote conservation efforts.
Benazir Kabaeva
Kyrgyzstan
Benazir Kabaeva has worked as a project assistant in snow leopard conservation for the past five years, focusing on community-based interventions. She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from AUCA.
Dr. Bohdan Prots
Ukraine
Bohdan Prots is the CEO and Director of the Danube-Carpathian Programme and has been leading WWF Ukraine for over 11 years. With 17 years of experience in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, he has also been actively involved in implementing community-linked projects, including large carnivore projects in transboundary areas.
Dr. Charudutt Mishra
India
Charudutt Mishra is the Executive Director of the International Snow Leopard Trust and co-founder of India’s Nature Conservation Foundation. He has over 25 years of experience working with local and indigenous communities for conservation, and is involved in research, conservation, administration, policy and international cooperation.
Chyngyz Kochorov
Kyrgyzstan
Chyngyz Kochorov is the National Coordinator for the inter-governmental Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program. Based in Kyrgyzstan, his role involves coordinating the activities of the Program Secretariat, interacting with Governments, and building bilateral and regional cooperation.
Claire McNulty
UK
Executive Director for National Geographic Society in Europe and Western Asia, with a role to support the network of NGS Explorers in the region.
Dr. Eduardo Neves
Brazil
Eduardo Neves is professor and director of the Museum of Archaeology of the University of São Paulo. He is an archaeologist working with local and indigenous communities in the Amazon to discover and preserve the region’s natural and biocultural heritage.
Estelle Balian
France
Estelle Balian is a mediator and expert in stakeholder engagement related to environmental issues. Her work with FEAL promotes effective communication and collaboration between stakeholders on environmental projects in France and beyond.
Estrela Matilde
Portugal / São Tomé and Príncipe
Estrela Matilde is the Executive Director of Fundação Príncipe, an NGO that conserves Príncipe Island's natural heritage while supporting local communities' economic and social development. She is a Conservation Biologist.
Farwiza Farhan
Indonesia
Farwiza Farhan is the founder of Yayasan HAkA, an Indonesian grassroots organization that conserves, and restores the Leuser Ecosystem. Her work aims to increase women's and local communities' meaningful involvement in policy matters concerning their environment and livelihood.
Guy Célestin Rakotovao
Madagascar
Guy Célestin Rakotovao is a project manager with MIHARI Network in Madagascar, working on community-based marine management, sustainable coastal resource management, and fisheries community development.
Dr. Hotlin Ompusunggu
Indonesia
Hotlin Ompusunggu is a dentist and conservationist working with Healthy Planet Indonesia to integrate health and conservation programs for local community development.
Ilena Zanella
Costa Rica
Ilena Zanella is a Costa Rican marine biologist who co-founded Mision Tiburon, an organization dedicated to promoting the research, management, and conservation of sharks and marine life. She works with local fishers and schools to conserve hammerhead sharks.
Indira Dayang Lacerna-Widmann
Philippines
Indira Dayang Lacerna-Widmann is the Program Director of the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program at the Katala Foundation. She has been managing the program since 1998, which aims to save the Philippine Cockatoo from extinction through community engagement and conservation education.
Jean Wiener
Haiti
Born and raised in Haiti, Jean has worked on environmental issues in general, and on coastal and marine issues in Haiti in particular since 1991. In 1992 Jean founded Haiti’s first coastal and marine environmental non-profit the Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine (FoProBiM). As the Executive Director of FoProBiM he specializes in coastal and marine sciences, environmental monitoring and management, and community development, and has executed a wide range of projects including resource assessments, association building, environmental rehabilitation, community needs evaluations, as well as pure scientific research for a wide range of institutions.
Jennifer Rullman
USA
Jennifer Snell Rullman has dedicated over 20 years to snow leopard conservation in a variety of roles, working with local and indigenous communities, conservation and research teams, administrators and donors to build resilient conservation programs that work toward coexistence between human communities and carnivores.
Dr. José Hernán Sarasola
Argentina
José Hernán Sarasola is the founder of CECARA, a conservation center for birds of prey and biodiversity in Argentina. His work focuses on wildlife population ecology and conservation.
Dr. Juliette Young
France
Dr. Juliette Young is a social scientist and Senior Researcher at the French National Institute of Agriculture, Food and Environment. She’s an experienced trainer and delivers workshops in community engagement.
Dr. Justine Shanti Alexander
France/UK
Justine Shanti Alexander is a snow leopard conservation scientist, working for the International Snow Leopard Trust and serving as Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Network. She has been involved in snow leopard research and conservation for over a decade, working on capacity building, research, and conservation programs.
Karen Aghababyan
Armenia
Karen Aghababyan is the Executive Director of BirdLinks Armenia NGO and an ornithologist turned conservation biologist. He advocates for research-driven environmental policy and legislation, with a focus on birds, butterflies, and their habitats.
Dr. Koustubh Sharma
India
Koustubh Sharma is the International Coordinator of the inter-governmental Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program and the Science and Conservation Director at the International Snow Leopard Trust. He oversees research, conservation, and monitoring programs across snow leopard range countries.
Kubanychbek Zhumabai uulu
Kyrgyzstan
Kubanychbek Zhumabai uulu is the founder of the Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan and serves as Country Director of the International Snow Leopard Trust. He leads conservation programs to support local communities in the Tien Shan and has extensive knowledge of snow leopards and their relationship with other large predators.
Dr. Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
India
Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi is the Director of the India Program of the International Snow Leopard Trust and a Senior Scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation. He leads research and conservation efforts for the snow leopard and conducts community-based projects to promote conservation awareness, women's enterprises, and conflict management.
Dr. Lucy Kemp
South Africa
Lucy is a conservation biologist, CEO of the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project and co-chair of the IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group. Her work focuses on research and conservation of hornbills in Africa, co-developing community-led conservation action plans, translating conservation science into engaging communication tools, and learning from every community she works with across southern Africa.
Dr. Luisa Arnedo
Colombia
Luisa Arnedo Beltran is Science Director, Wildlife Science and Innovation at the National Geographic Society. She has conducted research in behavioural ecology of primates in Colombia, Brazil, Panama, and Costa Rica. She supports individuals implementing conservation action around the world"
Manfred Epanda Aimé
Cameroon
Manfred Epanda Aimé founded Cameroon's Tropical Forest and Rural Development organization and is a conservation and development expert. He has a Master's degree in forestry and international relations with a specialization in environmental management, and has worked closely with governments, donors, and partners to achieve his organization's mission.
Dr. Micaela Camino
Argentina
Micaela Camino is the founder of Proyecto Quimilero, conserving the Chacoan peccary and its habitat in Argentina using the species as an umbrella for conservation. She is a Researcher with the National Research Council of Science and Technology in Argentina.
Dr. Muhammad Ali Nawaz
Pakistan
Dr. Muhammad Ali Nawaz is the founder and director of the Snow Leopard Foundation in Pakistan. He is a conservation biologist involved in wildlife research, molecular biology, quantitative ecology, and GIS. He oversees research, policy, and community partnerships for conservation in Northern Pakistan's mountainous regions.
Dr. Pablo Borboroglu
Argentina
Pablo Borboroglu is Founder and President of the Global Penguin Society and co-chair of the IUCN Penguin Specialist Group. His work has led to the protection of 32 million acres of marine and coastal areas as well as 3.5 million penguins.
Dr. Pedro Friedrich Fruet
Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina
Pedro Friedrich Fruet is the founder of Kaosa, dedicated to marine mammal research and conservation in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. He has a PhD in biological oceanography. His main area of interest is population ecology of whales and dolphins, studying human and natural stressors' impact on their survival.
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman
India
Purnima Devi Barman, known as ‘Hargila Baido’ or ‘stork sister’ works on community-based conservation and women's empowerment to conserve the endangered Greater Adjutant stork. She founded the Hargila Army, a women’s initiative dedicated to protecting the Greater Adjutant Stork in Assam, India.
Dr. Rachel Graham
Belize/Panama
Rachel Graham is the founder of MarAlliance which works with coastal communities across multiple tropical countries, including Panama, where she is now based, to seek win-win outcomes for fishing communities and threatened marine wildlife.
Dr. Ranjini Murali
India
Ranjini Murali is Senior Conservation Scientist with the Snow Leopard Trust and Assistant International Coordinator of the inter-governmental Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program. Her post-doctoral research at the Humbolt University focuses on the impact of sudden institutional changes on conservation and large carnivore populations.
Dr. Rocio Palacios
Argentina
Rocio Palacios is the Executive Director of the Andean Cat Alliance. Her work focuses on the conservation management of highly endangered small felids in partnership with local people of the Argentinean Patagonia.
Dr. Rodrigo Medellin
México
Rodrigo Medellin is Senior Professor at the Institute of Ecology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and co-founder of the Global South Bats. He has published more than 250 scientific papers and his conservation work focuses on mammals, particularly bats in Latin America.
Rubama Nusa
Indonesia
Rubama Nusa is a community advocate empowering women to protect natural resources in Aceh, Indonesia. She manages community based tourism strategy in Nusa village and works as a program officer for HAkA, an NGO restoring forests and protecting the environment in Aceh.
Dr. Shivani Bhalla
Kenya
Shivani Bhalla is the Founder and Director of Ewaso Lions, working towards promoting co-existence between carnivores and humans in Northern Kenya. She engages with local communities to reduce livestock loss to carnivores and monitors the lion population in the Samburu-Isiolo landscape.
Sonam Tashi Lama
Nepal
Sonam Tashi Lama is the Conservation Program Manager at the Red Panda Network in Nepal, responsible for developing and implementing community-based conservation programs in the country's red panda range.
Dr. Suri Venkatachalam
India
Dr. Suri Venkatachalam, India. Suri Venkatachalam is Senior Advisor at the Snow Leopard Trust and Adjunct Faculty at India's Nature Conservation Foundation. He has nearly three decades of experience in research, enterprise, and social impact.
Dr. Tserennadmid (Nadia) Mijiddorj
Mongolia
Nadia Mijiddorj is the Conservation Director of the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia . She is an ecologist and has engaged with Mongolia’s local and indigenous communities to promote snow leopard conservation programs since 2002.
Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy
Madagascar
Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy founded Beolobe, Madagascar's first platform that unites community-led conservation initiatives. She is Chair of MIHARI and focuses on mobilizing resources to prioritize Indigenous and local communities' well-being.
“I often felt isolated while defending the rights of Madagascar's small-scale fisheries communities. This alliance is helping me get support from other practitioners and implement the Partners Principles in Africa and beyond the continent.”
Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy,
Founder of Beolobe and Chair of MIHARI
