Flavia Manieri
WildHub Community Advocates Coordinator|Interdisciplinary Researcher, Uppsala University
Since July 2025, I have been serving as the Community Advocates Coordinator at WildHub, where I coordinate initiatives to engage, support, and empower our community advocates in advancing WH’s mission.
Beyond WildHub, I wear a few different hats. I work as a researcher and lecturer in Sweden, teaching courses on environmental law, political and historical ecology, and disaster management. I also mentor undergraduate and postgraduate students, collaborate with faculty members, and contribute to ongoing research projects.
I’m passionate about giving back through volunteer work. I support a few conservation and animal welfare organisations with research and advocacy to help drive positive change. When I’m not working, you’ll find me hiking forest trails with my dog or enjoying a good cup of coffee.
Suhail Bashir
Environmental Consultant, WildHub Community Advocate, ENS Environmnetal Consultancy Sharjah
Experienced Environmental Engineer/Consultant with a proven track record of leading successful environmental initiatives and delivering sustainable solutions. My expertise encompasses a diverse range of areas, including Baseline Studies, Environment Impact Assessments (EIA/IEE/ESIA), Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Environmental Conservation & Sustainability.
Currently, I am making a significant impact as an Environmental Engineer/Consultant at one of the leading Environmental Consultancy, specializing in preparing comprehensive environmental study reports for clients primarily from Hamriyah Free Zone Sharjah and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority Dubai. These reports play a crucial role in promoting environmental compliance and sustainable practices within the industry.
I have been in the field of conservation for more than 8 years. After completing my bachelor's programme in Natural Resources Management, I joined the Consultoria de asesores Forestales S.A. de C.V. in Mexico focusing on the estimation of tree's biomass and volume for the sustainable use of forest product. I later furthered my studies and joined the Double Degree Master's Programme "ENREM" in Environmental Science at Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Mexico and Natural Resources Management & Development at TH Köln, Germany. My master's thesis focused on carbon sequestration in the soil. Currently, I am the Terrestrial Researcher at Belize Audubon Society. In the process of my professional growth, I have seen that Project Management has become very important not just in the business sector but also in conservation. The effective use of tools for the management of resources will assist in the overall efficiency from planning to reporting.
Iam Lourdes Alessandra Ventura Seabra, biologist and veterinary in my NGO Bioventura in Brazil and study conservation jaguars, pumas and other animals in the Atlantic Forest (Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station - 24º18'-24º32'S e 47º00'-47º30'W). Instagram: @luventurabiologa @bioventura_ecoturismo_biologia @felinosdajureiaitatins
I am a veterinary surgeon, I have worked for 8 years in small animal practice in the UK, have completed my Master's in Wild Animal Health at the RVC in London and have spent a year travelling and gaining experience of veterinary work with wild animals abroad. I am actively looking for opportunities to start a PhD, ideally looking into infectious diseases in primates which is my strongest area of interest. During my Master's degree, I completed my research project focusing on the diagnostic options for respiratory tuberculosis in sanctuary-housed chimpanzees.
Chloe Chesney
PhD Candidate, Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA), NOVA University Lisbon
My principal research interests lie in understanding the socio-cultural development of humans, the relationships between humans and wildlife and the influence of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity. I am passionate about the inclusion of existing cultural beliefs into conservation strategy and acknowledging the key role of people who share their landscape with protected species. My research and practical work to date has used interdisciplinary socio-ecological data to understand and address conservation dynamics, and issues and I am interested in taking this to the next level by developing novel techniques to achieve more effective and sustainable conservation outcomes in the long-term. I graduated with a BA degree with honors in History and Anthropology (2017) and a MSc in Primate Conservation (Human-Primate Interface) (2018) from Oxford Brookes University in the UK, which gave me an excellent grounding in the methods and application of multidisciplinary approaches. When planning my undergraduate dissertation in 2014, I developed an interest in understanding how cultural practices and beliefs influence peoples’ attitudes and behaviors towards the environment. I have been both conducting research and working in practical conservation roles across West Africa and South-East Asia developing and applying skills in this area ever since. Working in Sierra Leone, I have seen first hand the effects of top-down conservation action on people living in protected areas and the subsequent adverse effects on the habitat and the wildlife. Interestingly, nature often finds ways to adapt and chimpanzees are an excellent example of a species that can flexibly respond to anthropogenic habitat modifications. In my positions as Assistant Conservation Manager in Sierra Leone and Technical Research Advisor in Guinea Bissau, I conducted research on spatio-temporal use of habitats by people and animals, community conservation projects and environmental education programmes, with a particular focus on chimpanzees. I am extremely passionate about building on this research to further investigate and understand local practices and perceptions of wildlife and conservation projects in order to incorporate what people are already doing into conservation approaches. And so, in September 2021 I started a PhD in Anthropology at ISCTE and NOVA FCSH.
Alan J. Hesse
Senior Behaviour Change Specialist (TRAFFIC); also independent author-illustrator and climate educator.., TRAFFIC International
My conservation career started in 1992 when I helped set up and joined a University expedition to the Bolivian Amazon. What started out as a 3-month experience ended up being a life-changing inflection point that set my professional and personal course to the present day. My conservation experience was built bottom-up and hands-on, and includes field data collection and logistics, grassroots organization leadership and project management, community engagement and capacity building, M&E, training and behavior change, and lately climate education through authorship of graphic novels and other resources. My conservation career includes positions as a senior staff member and a principal investigator at the Bolivian BirdLife Partner Armonía, field investigator in the Gran Chaco with WCS Bolivia, field logistics officer for Conservation International's RAP expeditions, and Programme Manager and Senior Manager of M&E at Rare. I currently work as Senior Behaviour Change Specialist with TRAFFIC International, applying behavioural science approaches to support TRAFFIC's work across wildlife supply chains globally.
I am a wildlife veterinarian specializing in great apes and monkeys but I also enjoy working with elephants, cobras and a variety of other endangered species. I traveled regularly between rescue and rehabilitation centers in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the United States. I mentor new veterinarians and teach at St. George's University of Veterinary Medicine in the Caribbean. I have a Masters in Veterinary Epidemiology from University College London with my thesis being done with ZSL regarding the endangered red squirrels of Great Britain.
I was born in Switzerland, but my current home is Costa Rica where I have been living with my wife and daughter for the last 25 years. Over two decades, I have developed extensive knowledge in sustainability topics along with a wide experience in designing, fundraising, and implementing conservation biology programs, biological corridors, project planning, implementation and monitoring, the leadership of inter-institutional alliances at the national, bi-national, regional and international level, as well as in the creation of protected areas. My areas of expertise include biodiversity, landscape issues, connectivity conservation, transboundary conservation, protected areas, and World Heritage Sites, sustainable development, wildlife, governance, and ecosystem conservation. I have worked for local and international NGOs and the academy, and define myself as a passionate conservation practitioner compromised with high standards of excellence, and a team player able to build strong intercultural relationships. I love trail running, photography, reading, cooking, traveling, and meeting new people from different cultural contexts. I am fluent in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, with limited working proficiency in German and Indonesian. I am currently learning Mandarin and Arabic.
I started working with captive rescued monkeys in 1999 and went on to earn an MSc in Primate Conservation (Oxford Brookes University) and another in International Animal Welfare Ethics and Law (University of Edinburgh). I've worked for a number of animal welfare organizations, most recently the Animals Asia Foundation and the Asia for Animals Coalition. I've been trustee and director for Neotropical Primate Conservation since its establishment as a UK charity in 2007. I'm particularly interested in the way human and non-human primates relate to one another, and the intersection between conservation and animal welfare. I feel that it's important that these are treated as complimentary, rather than contradictory, concepts. At present I am exploring primate welfare in the context of human-macaque conflict mitigation strategies. Please feel free to contact me here to talk about this if it's of interest to you! I am originally from the US but have lived in the UK for many years.