Bhuwan Joshi

Student, Institute of Forestry
Thirza Loffeld

WildHub Co-founder, WildHub Conservation Community

My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity exchange. 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 co-founded WildHub, a community of nature conservation professionals, in 2020 and work as their Community Lead. I am furthermore 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. 
Brian Heppenstall

Lecturer in Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Kingston Maurward College

I lead and deliver a part-theory, part hand-on course in Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation at Kingston Maurward College, on the South Coast of the UK. I have managed Rangers and Engagement staff and overseen species and habitat management for over 20 years, but my passions are around people and conservation. From writing bids for engagement projects/roles to developing the future workforce, I believe the key to a brighter ecological future lies with people. I received the Alumni of the Year Award from Bournemouth University, in 2018, nominated for my work in supporting young people in Conservation, and our team have developed an industry standard placement scheme. I am also the co-host of a Conservation podcast; The Hive.
Jim Barborak

Senior Adviser Center for Protected Area Management, Colorado State University

Jim Barborak is Senior Adviser of the Center for Protected Area Management at Colorado State University, an outreach arm of the Warner College of Natural Resources at CSU. His B.S. and M.S. in natural resources are from Ohio State University, and he took additional coursework mid-career at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. His specialties include protected areas and corridor planning and management; wildlife management; conservation finance, policy and governance; capacity building; and ecotourism. He began his career working for county government in his native Ohio, and then joined the US Peace Corps as a Volunteer and was assigned to work with the Honduran Wildlife Department. That began an international career now spanning more than 40 years. He has worked for US, Costa Rican and Honduran government conservation agencies, as a consultant to several UN organizations including UNESCO, the UN Development Program and FAO, as a private consultant, and for universities. He has worked in nearly 30 countries, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also in Africa and Asia. He is an active member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and serves on several of its specialist groups, including those on Tourism, Conservation Finance, Capacity Building, and Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and Equity. He is a native English speaker, fluent in Spanish, and speaks conversational Portuguese. Throughout his career, Jim has worked on efforts to plan and develop increased opportunities for public enjoyment of protected areas, through tourism, recreation, and environmental education programs. At the same time, he has been actively involved in efforts to increase the stream of benefits to local communities and indigenous populations living in and around protected areas, through their direct involvement in tourism and through other mechanisms to create employment and improve livelihoods in conservation units, the buffer zones that ring them, and the corridors that connect them.
Sunita Chaudhary

Ecosystem Services Specialist, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)

I am currently working as Ecosystem Services Specialist at ICIMOD, where I am responsible for research, policy inputs, capacity building and advocacy of evidence-based policy for sustainable development of Hindu Kush Himalaya. I am an established forester with almost a decade experience on natural resources management in Australia, Austria, Cambodia and Hindu Kush Himalaya region. My research interests fall under the broad umbrella of conservation science and political ecology.
Sabita Gurung

Wildlife Researcher , Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF)

I am early-career wildlife researcher from Nepal with M.Sc Zoology (ecology and environment) academic background. Currently, I am Post Graduate Diploma student at WildCRU, University of Oxford. I have experiences of volunteering in wildlife surveys ranging from reptiles, birds to mammals, organizing conservation events, hiking, national and international conferences, as Project Officer in studying pangolins and primates in Nepal, and leading independent project on owls and rodents. I have special interest in studying predator-prey dynamics and landscape ecology along with human dimensions of conservation. I love learning new skills, and enjoy website designing, video editing to learning data analysis. I enjoy interdisciplinary subjects which creatively connects diverse set of skills and ideas together. I also like to do illustrations specially of wild animals. I dream to create a wildlife art gallery where people from diverse sector meets for discussion on common goals of conservation. I love owls and cats. ^^
Matthew Creasey

Course Development Manager, WildTeam

I work for WildTeam UK, helping to deliver training workshops, write conservation best practice manuals and share them as widely as possible. Previously a Writing Fellow working with various conservation organisations across India. Background in research, particularly behavioural ecology. Bird nerd.
Léa Kaplani

WildLearning Specialist, WildTeam

Hello! I'm Léa and I'm a WildLearning Specialist with WildTeam UK. I help create, design and deliver training courses. I love getting to know all the participants and learning from them :) Previously, I was working with BirdLife International on forest governance issues and in my previous life I worked in the development sector in the United States. Education-wise, I have studied economic development, international relations as well as tropical forestry in the past.  Hope to catch you in a WildHub social!
Flavia Martinelli

Climate Change Specialist, WWF-Brazil

Master in Animal Biology, with a deep interest in biodiversity conservation, restoration and climate change. Former collaborator of CoalitionWILD and the Global Rewilding Alliance. Former Coordinator of Actions and Partnerships at Plant-for-the-Planet Brazil and Co-Director at Youth Climate Leaders, currently working as a Climate Change Specialist at WWF-Brazil.
Natalie Rhoades

Program Delivery Facilitator, SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity

I studied Marine Biology in San Diego, California and Wildlife Biology & Conservation in Edinburgh, Scotland. I volunteered, interned, and worked in various capacities at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Hopkins Marine Station, and on a small whale-watching outfit prior to my MSc, and I now work as a Program Delivery Facilitator at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity in Sacramento, California. My passions lie in informal science education, outreach, and public engagement in the sciences. 
Beth Robinson

Consultant, Biodiversify

I'm a biodiversity consultant working mainly in the corporate space. I work with large companies to help them figure out their nature-related impacts, dependancies, risks and opportunities, then use this information to create biodiversity strategies. 
Kristi Foster

Head of Engagement, Conservation Careers