Keynote Speakers

Xingu Seed Network

Milene Alves Oliveira Lima is a seed collector in the Brazilian Amazonia with the Xingu Seed Network Association (Rede de Sementes do Xingu) and is currently a master's student in Ecology and Conservation at the State University of Mato Grosso, Campus Nova Xavantina, investigating the effects of the temperature increase on the germination of the most traded species. Milene was first introduced to the Seed Network in 2013, when she and her mother started participating in seed collection. Since then, she has worked with the organization in the seed storage house with the Nova Xavantina collector group, assisted local leaders, and participated in numerous workshops and meetings to understand local knowledge on the collection, processing, and storage of forest seeds. In 2019, Milene joined the Seed Network Steering Committee.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta is the Director of the Coastal Solutions Fellows Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He has been working in conservation and research projects in northwestern Mexico since 1997, in particular in wetland areas of the Sonoran Desert.  His activities include the evaluation and recovery of birds and their habitats, the implementation of community-based restoration projects, and the creation of partnerships with governments and stakeholders for the conservation of nature. He was the Director of the Water and Wetlands Program for Pronatura Noroeste in Mexico, where he led the efforts to restore the Colorado River delta for over 20 years, including the restoration of river flows and the facilitation of binational negotiations between Mexico and the US for the Colorado River. Currently, he is the Director of the Coastal Solutions Fellowship Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he is working to develop capacity and cross-collaborative projects to protect threatened coastal habitats for communities and shorebirds along the Pacific Flyway from Mexico to Chile.  He has co-authored 32 research articles and book chapters. In 2009 he received the National Award for the Conservation of Wetlands in Mexico, in 2012 he received the Emerging Explorer Award from the National Geographic Society, and in 2014 he received the Sonoran Desert Conservation Award. He obtained a BSc in Biochemical Engineering and Marine Sciences from ITESM Campus Guaymas and a Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Arizona.

Jordan

HRH Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan is an advocate of biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture.

Princess Basma founded the Royal Botanic Garden in 2005, to conserve Jordan’s native flora, by establishing a center for scientific research and environmental education, serving as a demonstration site for sustainable development, and provide a unique ecotourism destination.

She is the Chairperson and co-founder of the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan since 1995 to protect Jordan’s Red Sea coastline and coral reefs.

She also chairs the National Biodiversity Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Princess Alia Foundation.

In 2011, Princess Basma was awarded the Henry Shaw Medal by the Missouri Botanical Garden for her pioneering work in raising awareness among Jordanians about the importance of conserving native plants and protecting the environment.

In 2002, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) elected her as a laureate in the Global 500 Roll of Honor for Environmental Achievements. In 1998, she became the first Arab woman to receive the title of Hero for the Planet from Time Magazine.

Princess Basma earlier served for 12 years in the Jordanian Armed Forces, reaching the rank of Major. She was awarded the Order of Merit Decoration in 1998 and the King Hussein Gold Medal for Excellence in 1995.

Global Peatlands Initiative, UN Environment Program

Dianna Kopansky is the Coordinator of the Global Peatlands Initiative in the Freshwater, Land, and Climate Branch at the UN Environment Program, based in Nairobi, Kenya. An expert in landscapes and biodiversity, she delivers a suite of ecosystem management and climate change programs to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Dianna has worked in Africa for 20 years on a range of issues within the emergency, humanitarian, and development fields. For UN Environment Program, she works globally and has led teams to develop and implement projects such as the 17 MDG-F Environment and Climate Change Joint Projects. As part of the Executive Office, she developed UN system-wide strategies, policies to strengthen the Regional Offices, and enabled the inclusion of Environment as a pillar in the UN Development Assistance Frameworks. Working in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions, she led the environmental portfolio for UN-FAO’s Regional Emergency Office for Africa. While with UNDP’s Drylands Development Centre, Dianna provided direct technical support to governments in over 40 countries to integrate environmental issues into national development plans and Poverty Reduction Strategies and developed a new area of work on Drylands Biodiversity. Prior to moving to Africa, Dianna worked for the Canadian Government preparing their “State of Environment” reports and was part of a team that undertook a ground-breaking study – the Illness Cost of Air Pollution, resulting in the Ontario and Canadian Governments to dramatically improve air quality by lowering allowable pollutant levels. Dianna holds a Master of Environmental Studies Degree from York University and a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology from Queen’s University in Canada.

Il’laramatak Community Concerns (ICC)

Agnes Leina, from Kenya, is the Founder and Executive Director of Il’laramatak Community Concerns (ICC) whose name denotes ‘care-givers’, or pastoralist. ICC is an Indigenous People’s Organization whose main goal is to restore dignity among Indigenous people, with special emphasis on Girls and Women. ICC envisions a society of Indigenous Peoples of Kenya that is free from all forms of discrimination. Agnes is the Gender Coordinator of IPACC, Indigenous People of Africa Coordinating Committee, a position she has held for the last five years alongside being a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the Global Forum for indigenous women (FIMI), a global Indigenous Women’s network. She has advocated for the rights of women, including women pastoralists in a number of international and regional climate change and human rights conferences, meetings, and fora.

University of Utah

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is known as the "Queen of the Forest Canopy" and is a Biology Professor at the University of Utah. She explores life in the forest canopies of Costa Rica, and has published over 130 scientific articles and three scholarly books. Nalini is also a passionate communicator to people outside of academia. She brings science and conservation to faith-based groups, urban youth, artists, and incarcerated adults and youth. She is a two-time TED speaker, a National Geographic Society Explorer, and has a “TreeTop Barbie” created by the Mattel Corporation in her image. Nalini has been featured in journals ranging from Science and the Journal of Ecology to Glamour and Playboy Magazine. Her work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society, and her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Archie Carr Medal for Conservation, and the William Julius Wilson Award for Achievement in Social Justice.

Griffith University

Brendan Mackey is a Professor at Griffith University, Queensland Australia and Director of the Griffith Climate Action Beacon research program. He has a PhD in Ecology from The Australian National University. Professor Mackey is currently a Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report. Previously, he served eight-years on the governing council of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He has authored and co-authored over 250 academic publications in the fields of forest ecology, environmental policy, and nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation and climate change, including ecosystem-based approaches to mitigation and adaptation.

Wetlands International

Jane is a passionate conservationist who has been very actively engaged in the field of wetlands and water policy for the last 30 years. As CEO of Wetlands International since 2004, she leads a global network of offices operating in over 100 countries. Jane is prominent in building partnerships and in driving forward science-based initiatives and dialogues that can enable ecosystem-based solutions to today’s global environment and development challenges. Previously Jane established and led WWF International's Freshwater Programme for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and was Regional Director for WWF in Western Australia. She has led a number of ecological research and multiple use conservation programmes and was Director of Conservation for the Broads National Park in the UK throughout the 1990’s. Her technical expertise and former publications include several on the ecological restoration of wetlands. 

UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Ms. Mrema is the Executive Secretary of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat.  Prior to that, Ms. Mrema served as Director of the Law Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya.  With over two decades of experience at the United Nations, Ms. Mrema brings to the position extensive experience in global environmental law and policymaking, implementation of environmental and sustainable development programmes, and a deep knowledge of multilateral processes.  From 2009 to 2012, she served as the Executive Secretary of the UNEP/Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals as well as served as the Acting Executive Secretary of the UNEP/ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas) as well as Interim Executive Secretary of the UNEP/Gorilla Agreement, all based in Bonn, Germany. 

Before joining UNEP, Ms. Mrema worked with the United Republic of Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. During her time with the Ministry, she also lectured in Public International Law and Conference Diplomacy at Tanzania's Centre for Foreign Relations and Diplomacy. 

Ms. Mrema holds a Master of Law degree from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Centre of Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. 

Lebanon Reforestation Initiative

Dr. Maya Nehme has a MSc in Plant Protection from the American University of Beirut and a dual-title PhD in Entomology and Comparative and International Education from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. She worked for over 10 years on managing pests in forests and natural ecosystems both in Lebanon and the US. In 2011, Maya joined the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative first as a project and then as of 2014 as a registered Lebanese NGO. As the director of LRI, she’s currently engaged in research and implementation related to landscape restoration and reforestation/afforestation activities, riparian rehabilitation, fire management and other forest management activities, urban forestry, rural tourism and other related projects and activities. So far, LRI has restored and managed more than 3,000 ha of previously abandoned land, rehabilitated five quarries, and planted more than 1.2Million native tree seedlings in a sustainable and participatory approach. With the support of USFS, LRI has revamped the reforestation sector, from nursery to field, and drastically improved knowledge and awareness in the country. Maya has co-authored several research papers related to forest ecosystem restoration and fire prevention and is a member of three international networks related to forestry and ecosystem restoration.

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

Dr. Samira S. Omar Asem was appointed by the Kuwait Council of Ministers as the Director General of KISR in 2016. She has led many projects to conserve biodiversity, restore ecosystems, promote sustainable agriculture in Kuwait, and innovative work on arid land restoration in Kuwait. Her work includes the development of new methods for post-war restoration and initiatives to raise awareness of ecological restoration throughout the Middle East region. Samira has also been influential in advancing the science of restoration through her work in translating SER’s International Standards into Arabic and helping to lead the development of the new thematic series Restoration Ecology-Arid Lands. In addition to her work at KISR, she is also a Research Fellow at The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the Advancement of Sciences in the Developing Countries and a receiver of many honors and awards including the 2016 Medal Lectures honored by TWAS, and the 2019 SER Theodore M. Sperry Award. Samira holds a PhD in wild land resource science from the University of California, Berkeley.

National Audubon Society

Jennifer Pitt is director of National Audubon Society’s Colorado River Program, where she works to protect and restore rivers. She is a leading advocate for the United States–Mexico collaboration to restore the long-desiccated Colorado River Delta, and serves as the U.S. co-chair of the binational work group whose partners will, through 2026, implement existing treaty commitments providing environmental flows and habitat creation. Prior to joining Audubon, she worked at the Environmental Defense Fund where she collaborated with Colorado River stakeholders to produce the unprecedented Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study, the first federal assessment of climate change impacts in the basin and the first basin-wide evaluation of the impacts of river system operation on water supply reliability and river health. Jennifer worked for a member of Congress and as a ranger for the National Park Service. She graduated from Harvard University and received a master’s in Environmental Science and Policy from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Food and Agriculture Organization Forestry Division

Dr Moctar Sacande is an expert in forest seeds and dryland restoration at the FAO’s Forestry Division based in Rome, and International Coordinator of the “Action Against Desertification” program. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Tropical Plant Physiology by Wageningen University, Netherlands in 2000, and worked as a Research Leader for 15 years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK before joining FAO to support the on-the-ground implementation of Africa’s Great Green Wall. He uses his deep knowledge of the dryland flora to ensure that planting the right species in the right place is at the heart of large-scale restoration of degraded lands.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, which has earned Kimmerer wide acclaim. Her first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing, and her other work has appeared in Orion, Whole Terrain, and numerous scientific journals. She tours widely and has been featured on NPR’s On Being with Krista Tippett and in 2015 addressed the general assembly of the United Nations on the topic of “Healing Our Relationship with Nature.” Kimmerer lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, whose mission is to create programs that draw on the wisdom of both indigenous and scientific knowledge for our shared goals of sustainability.

As a writer and a scientist, her interests in restoration include not only restoration of ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. She holds a BS in Botany from SUNY ESF, an MS, and a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wisconsin, and is the author of numerous scientific papers on plant ecology, bryophyte ecology, traditional knowledge, and restoration ecology. She lives on an old farm in upstate New York, tending gardens both cultivated and wild.