Passionate wildlife veterinarian and conservationist with 16+ years of
experience managing wildlife rescue centers and conservation projects, and
as an animal welfare advisor.
Driven attitude to make an impact by educating on the actions that can be
taken to protect the environment and its biodiversity while advocating for
animal welfare.
Yashvardhan Dalmia
Network Support Officer- Satpuda Landscape Tiger Partnership, Born Free Foundation
I am Yashvardhan Dalmia from India. Over the last 8 years, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of working on biodiversity conservation space in various capacities in India while liaising closely and learning from a diverse set of stakeholders including NGOs, local community groups, forest guards, and conservationists.
In my current role as Network Support Officer for the Satpuda Landscape Tiger Partnership (SLTP), I work closely with the Born Free Foundation UK to coordinate a network of NGOs and conservationists dedicated to protecting the forests and wildlife of central India through long-term coexistence projects.
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.
For over 20 years, Dr Debbie Saunders has worked as a wildlife biologist, specialising in threatened species conservation management and worked with diverse teams of talented people to develop the world’s most advanced drone radio-telemetry solution – resulting in the establishment of Wildlife Drones.
As a passionate founder, CEO and Chief Remote Pilot of this award-winning deep tech company, Dr Saunders gets to empower wildlife biologists and land managers to achieve greater insights and conservation impact all around the world by cost-effectively collecting more data, more often with less effort.
How can Wildlife Drones help you? - Track up to 40 animals simultaneously and in real-time - Survey difficult terrains like rugged mountains and swamp areas easily - Save time, effort and money so you can focus on what really matters - Collect more data, more often with less effort
She has received an ACT Innovation Award as well as an ACT Government Innovation Connect grant for her creative business solutions for challenging research problems.
Debbie believes that drones are a highly valuable and flexible tool that provide unprecedented opportunities for new insights into the world’s most complex and fascinating natural ecosystems.
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
Conservation & Sustainability Consultant, LRC Wildlife Conservation Consulting
I am a conservation and sustainability consultant with a passion for combining real-world conservation practices and innovative Web 3.0 technologies to help organisations scale their impact, build trust, and drive new opportunities for engagement and funding.
Through my work, I develop tools and frameworks that bridge the gap between traditional conservation efforts and the integration of Web 3.0 technologies such as blockchain, digital certificates, IoT, DAOs, and the metaverse. This combined approach supports knowledge sharing, informed decision-making, and the adoption of practical solutions tailored to the unique needs of conservation projects.
Are you working with Web 3.0 technologies or exploring how they could apply to conservation? Whether you’re developing new ideas, facing challenges, or just curious about this space, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s connect to discuss your thoughts, experiences, and how we can collaborate to create impactful solutions.
Background
I am a Conservation and Sustainability Consultant with over twenty years of experience spanning field-based research, conservation management, and leadership development. My career has evolved from conducting large carnivore ecology and human-wildlife conflict research across Eastern and Southern Africa to designing and implementing innovative conservation solutions that address today’s pressing challenges.
I hold a Master’s in Conservation Biology from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, and a Ph.D. from Nottingham Trent University, where my research focused on variations in brown hyaena density and distribution across South Africa. My work has taken me into national parks, conservancies, and private farmland, including leading Namibia’s National Leopard Census Project, which combined field ecology with multi-disciplinary approaches to assess leopard population pressures and trends.
As the Academic Dean of the School of Wildlife Conservation at the African Leadership University, I trained and developed the next generation of entrepreneurial, mission-driven conservation leaders. My work focused on the 'Business of Conservation,' positioning conservation as an opportunity for sustainable economic and social development.
Building on this foundation, I now focus on helping conservation organisations explore and adopt innovative Web 3.0 technologies such as blockchain, IoT, and digital certificates to scale their impact, drive transparency, and unlock new funding streams. Through my consultancy, I develop tools and frameworks that bridge the gap between technology and conservation, empowering organisations to make informed decisions and achieve tangible results for nature and communities.
My work combines ongoing conservation initiatives, including research, project design, and field-based management, with the integration of technology-driven solutions. Both areas are essential for addressing conservation challenges at scale, ensuring that organisations have the tools, knowledge, and capacity to achieve lasting impact. By aligning these two areas, I provide a holistic approach that delivers meaningful, real-world results and transformative opportunities through innovation.
We are experts in Stakeholder Dialogue, Process Design and Facilitation.
We work with organisations, public bodies and researchers to design and run equitable stakeholder processes and workshops. We also provide training courses around stakeholder participation, facilitation skills, inclusive engagement, partnership working, and effective communication.
Alan J. Hesse
Senior Behaviour Change Specialist at TRAFFIC; also independent author-illustrator and climate education entrepreneur, 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.
Hello! I'm Katie and I'm a WildLearning Specialist with WildTeam. I help to deliver a number of workshops with WildTeam, including the Project Management for Wildlife Conservation course. I love meeting course participants from all over the world, and learning about the amazing projects that they are working on or would like to in the future.
I am also working as a postdoctoral researcher at Bournemouth University, as a continuation of my PhD project which focussed on African elephant conservation. I've been lucky enough to travel to lots of places for my work and engage with a range of stakeholders. I also love science communication which has lead me to meet and work with lots of amazing people through public engagement, outreach events and social media.
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-thompson-8664128b/ and Instagram: @drkatet
Loretta Andrade
First an Animal & Wildlife Goodwill Ambassador & then a Corporate Professional, N/A
I have always believed that kindness should extend to every living being. My love for animals and nature is not just a passion. It is a part of who I am. I care deeply about Animal Rights, Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation, and I do whatever I can to make this world a gentler and safer place for them. Whether it is raising awareness or supporting meaningful causes, I try to play my part with heart and purpose.
Professionally, I have grown as an Executive Assistant and Administrative Specialist with hands-on experience across different sectors and cultures. Over the years, I have worked closely with senior leadership teams in Technology, Business, and Higher Education, always striving to be dependable, professional, and calm under pressure. I have earned an Advanced Certificate in Executive Assistance from BMTG UK Ltd which reflects my dedication to this profession.
I have also completed several training programs focused on workplace excellence and strong organizational skills. These skills help me adapt to change and keep things running smoothly in today’s fast-paced world. My work often involves managing international travel, planning both virtual and on-site events, and handling communication, immigration, and hospitality tasks. I approach each of these with care and a personal touch.
I also write professionally, preparing internal communications and business correspondence with clarity and precision. This has helped me build a reputation for being trustworthy, effective, and committed to high standards.
What truly keeps me going is my willingness to learn and grow. I believe that every day is an opportunity to do better, not just at work, but in how we treat others, especially those who do not have a voice. This journey of compassion, hard work, and lifelong learning is what I carry forward, wherever I go and whatever I do.
I lead on the Whitley Fund for Nature's Network Development programme, supporting and creating connections among the 200-strong global network to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration, and strengthen capacity. Previous to this role, I worked for Galapagos Conservation Trust for over seven years across project management and operations/finance. I hold an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London. I am passionate about habitat restoration, the conservation of endemic species and inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders.
Arvind Kumar Chaurasia
Additional Commissioner, IRS(C&IT), Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC)
I am Additional Commissioner from Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) with vast experience of law enforcement especially in tackling transnational smuggling including willdife trafficking. Also, as an expert I have been conducting sessions on various aspects of wildlife crimes and its convergence with other serious crimes, legal and enforcement framework to counter it, wildlife cyber crime, OSINT for combating wildlife crime, combating money laundering associated with wildlife crime, CITES, role of Customs in tackling the menace of wildlife crime, Digital Forensics etc. for forest, police, customs and other enforcement agencies' officials. I have also been invited as an expert by UNODC ROSA to train the law enforcement officials of Sri Lanka on combating wildlife cyber crimes.
Hi all! I am currently Fauna & Flora Internationals (FFIs) Senior Programme Manager for Conservation Capacity and Leadership. I have a lovely broad remit, but at its heart my job is to support FFI staff and partners strengthen skills in establishing, managing and supporting FFIs conservation work. I do this in lots of ways- designing and running training events, supporting the application of new skills/learning to peoples work, setting up mentoring relationships and peer to peer learning groups, organising exchange visits, work shadowing, master classes etc. We have a big focus on knowledge management in FFI, so don't just focus on how to bring in new knowledge and learning into our organisation, but how to share and apply all the incredible knowledge and skills our 400 strong team already have
I have an MSc in Environmental Technology and PhD in Anthropology from UCL where I specialised in human-environment interactions, with a stint as a Teaching Fellow in Human Ecology (maternity cover). Prior to joining FFI, I spent a number of years working in the Central African Republic to assess and improve the integration of conservation and development in the Dzanga-Sangha region, and following gorillas up and down volcanoes in Rwanda with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Before joining FFI's Conservation Capacity team in 2013, I spent 5 years in FFI’s Africa team, co-ordinating and managing projects in Liberia, West Africa.
I am a WildLearning Specialist at WildTeam with a PhD in Conservation Biology.
I am a marine biology graduate with an MSc in conservation from Plymouth Uni. I use to be the assistant community manager of WildHub and. have a passion for science communication and bringing people together. 🦇 In my spare time I have a blog as well as a Redbubble shop where I sell my artwork. Check it out under my website link :) 🦇 Other interests include the use of technology (specifically cameras) to study animals as well as animal husbandry and advocacy.