Changu Mazakaza

Project Coordinator, Frankfurt Zoological Society
Kalle Musalilwa Silwimba

Operations Manager, Tondwa Conservation Limited (Conserve global Earth)

With over 8 years of experience in shelter and infrastructure development across diverse contexts, I bring a multifaceted skill set to every project. My journey has spanned developmental, humanitarian, and emergency settings, where I’ve honed my technical, administrative, and interpersonal abilities. Key Roles and Achievements: Project Management: As a Project Engineer/Manager, I have successfully led the implementation of over 80 construction projects. These projects encompass a wide range of facilities, including training centers, houses, hostels, schools, police posts, markets, office spaces, and local courts. The combined value of these initiatives amounts to approximately K40 million (USD 2,000,000). My commitment to quality assurance and control measures ensures that projects are delivered to the highest standards. Community Engagement and Ownership: I am passionate about fostering community ownership of our projects. By involving residents and enhancing their skills, we create sustainable solutions that benefit everyone. Vibrant and proactive, I work tirelessly to ensure that our projects serve the community effectively. Environmental Responsibility: Committed to environmentally friendly solutions, I design infrastructure that minimizes ecological impact while remaining cost-effective. My proficiency extends beyond technical aspects—I excel in managing interpersonal relationships with contractors and administering contracts. Operations Management in Game Management Area: As an Operations Manager within a Game Management area, I oversee critical aspects of wildlife conservation and habitat management. My responsibilities include coordinating field operations, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, and optimizing resource utilization. UNV Civil Engineer (WASH/Shelter) in Refugee Settlement: For the past 4 years, I have served as a dedicated UN Volunteer (UNV) Civil Engineer in a refugee settlement. In this role, I am responsible for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and shelter infrastructure. I collaborate closely with international agencies, local authorities, and community leaders to improve living conditions for displaced populations. I am driven by a sense of purpose—to make a positive impact on communities, whether through sustainable infrastructure, environmental stewardship, or humanitarian efforts. As an adaptable professional, I embrace new technologies and challenges with enthusiasm.
Marta Villasán Barroso

Biodiversity Conservation Biologist , Ecoenergías del Guadiana / Fauna&Vida NGO / SEO BirdLife

I'm from Badajoz, a little city near Portugal at Extremadura, Spain. I love my region because is plenty of wild nature, birds, forests, rivers... but is endangered too. I have a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Biodiversity Conservation. I have more than 15 years of experience in Environmental Education with school kids and the general public. I'm interested in all related topics about ecology, conservation and all living creatures and their relationships, that makes possible the life on Earth.  I have worked in Paraguay granted by University of Salamanca and UNESCO Chair "Education for Sustainable Development: Strengthening lines of research in the area of ​​biodiversity and the link with society". My duties were teaching experiments design and basic biostatistics at UNA (Universidad Nacional de Asunción); doing a biodiversity's bird research at the San Rafael National Park (the major Atlantic Forest patch remaining), ringing birds and teaching young students how to carry out a basic research; and doing environmental education with young child and population living at the natural park influence area.  I stayed at Madeira (Portugal) working on two LIFE projects, one to protect the endemic sparrowhawk "Furabardos" and the other to take care of marine birds. The LIFE projects are the UE tool to support and fund the conservation on their territories.   Later I have devoted to natural ecotourism at Extremadura (Spain) and scuba diving tourism at Sharm el Shaik (Egypt), in addition to environmental education, or little research and consultancy tasks. I have a  youtube channel  to outreach environmental issues and my own talks. Is in Spanish, but if you want you could take a look at it.  Currently, I have a job at an environmental consulting at Extremadura (Spain), working about the compensatory measures to take during and after the construction of photovoltaic plants. I take care of bird nests, mitigation and prevention of bird and bat mortality at the high voltage lines, soil restoration, reforestation, etc. I'm glad to carry out this work because I'm sure I'm doing the best to protect the nature while the construction of renewable energy plants are trying to reduce the climate change.  In addition, I take part from two NGOs: Fauna&Vida, a environmental conservation and education organization from Paraguay, where I'm currently the Education and conservation programs Director, and SEO/BirdLife, the ornithological society to protect birds, where I coordinate the volunteer group in my city.