Abdirisak Ibrahim (He/Him)

Founder and CEO, Species Savior
Aliyu Adamu Bajoga

Operations Room Assistant , Wildlife conservation society

As a dedicated ecologist, waste manager, and circular economy advocate, I'm driven to catalyze positive change in biodiversity preservation and climate crisis mitigation. With expertise spanning conservation science and circular economy practices, I recognize their integral role in addressing environmental degradation and fostering sustainable peace. The BioversNG Workshop empowered me with invaluable insights and skills over six transformative weeks, enabling me to contribute more effectively to protecting Nigeria's rich biodiversity. Now, as the Operations Room Assistant with WCS Nigeria at Yankari Game Reserve, I'm excited to leverage this knowledge and experience in a practical and impactful way. Combining hands-on fieldwork experience with ecological principles and waste management strategies, I champion climate action and promote peace initiatives. As co-founder of the Ecology Students Forum at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, I facilitate meaningful discussions advancing ecological knowledge and exploring ways to leverage insights for broader climate resilience and peace-building endeavors. My goal is to bridge the gap between conservation, circular economy practices, climate action, and peace advocacy by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and promoting dialogue that acknowledges the interconnectedness of environmental sustainability, peace, and global well-being. In my new role with WCS Nigeria, I'm committed to furthering these objectives and contributing to the vital mission of wildlife conservation.
PHILEMON EMANUEL SHAKIPINT

TUTOR II TOUR GUIDING OPERATIONS, NATIONAL COLLEGE OF TOURISM

By professionalism I am a wildlife conserver professional, bachelor degree holder in wildlife Management from college of African wildlife Management. Learning and expertise in wildlife ecology, Ornithology, Entomology, Herpetology and mammalogy. Interesting in nature flora and and fauna, Interesting on animals behaviors, ecology, Identification and interpretation of these resources has been to my heart all time. I have five years of experience as a tutor in two different colleges, first was Tropical Institute of Tourism and hospitality, Second Is the current National college of Tourism both in Tanzania mainland.  I worked as a nature guide and a co research data collector at Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Center.
Timothy Maiyo

Research assistant, N.A

Fleur Morton

Master's Graduate, N/A

Hayley Rocco

Children's Book Author, Hayley Rocco Books

I'm a children's book author with a focus on creating books that ignite passion and curiosity for wildlife and wild places in young readers. "If we care about animals, we'll want to protect them." I'm looking to connect with professionals who are studying and/or are actively helping in advancing wildlife conservation efforts in general. I am also a beginning nature photographer with a passion for capturing the unique personalities of each animal I see. (That's the goal, anyhow!) I've had a lifelong passion for animals and want to learn all I can and share what I can with young readers, hopefully inspiring the next wave of conservationists, naturalists, scientists, etc.!
Rezoana Arefine

Snake expert, Kundali Foundation

I am Arefine. I am an anchor & reciter. In between my studies in zoology, I am involved in extra curricular activities. I focus on field studies since my undergraduate studies. Field study alone and observing became my addiction. Photography was also added to this addiction. Although watching nature, observing animals is my passion, the thought of working on a specific subject did not come to my mind. After that, I started working at the marginal level with snakebite patients during the Corona period. Then I chose calligraphy as a means of awareness to reach people quickly. Although I did not give priority to online then, I later built my organization called Kundali Foundation. Under the banner of this organization, i started the work of conveying the message of awareness to people called 'Be Aware Of Snake'.   I was able to deliver my message to 495 upazilas of Bangladesh. The war is still going on because the fear of snakes has not died down among people.
Jézumèvo Ephrem AKPOLI

PhD student, Université d'Abomey-Calavi

I am currently a doctoral student in the LMI SHUNT International Mixed Laboratory program on the sustainability of the hunting system in the Dahomey Gap (Benin). This is part of the collaboration between the Research Institute for Development (IRD) and the Laboratory of Applied Ecology (LEA) of the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC). I am currently doing my research on the conservation of the habitats of this hunting system. I am a research assistant at the Applied Ecology Laboratory at the University of Abomey-Calavi. Thus, from 2022 to 2023, I was a facilitator in a project to restore sacred forests in South Benin.
Thirza Loffeld

WildHub Community Manager, WildTeam UK

My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity development. I researched mother-young interactions in gorillas and chimpanzees, in captivity and the wild. After that, I worked for three years in Indonesia, where I developed and implemented youth ambassador and community engagement programmes on local and regional scales. I work as Community Manager at WildHub since 2020, and I am on the Advisory Board of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent where I obtained my PhD on capacity development for conservation in 2022.