Join us as we explore...
The weird and the wonderful
The challenges life faces
Good news conservation stories
About Global Bio Fest
Join us as we take a global audience on a virtual journey to the frontlines of the race to save our planet's biodiversity. Through the stories and media of scientists, explorers, conservationists, filmmakers, photographers, and policymakers, we'll shine a spotlight on biodiversity through a fast paced, global exploration. We'll celebrate the weird and the wonderful, uncover the challenges life faces, and share the good news conservation stories that inspire and give us hope for a future with wild places, filled with wildlife.
Over the last 3 years, the Global Biodiversity Festival has broadcast 141 hours of live content, with 310 speakers, representing 80 countries. We've been live in the canopy or the Costa Rican rainforest, met the last northern white rhinos in Kenya, watched kiwis undergo health checks, explored Antarctica, and so much more.
Join us for year 4 of the Global Biodiversity Festival and meet new speakers as we take a global snapshot of biodiversity through a live visit to a new country every 30 minutes as we prepare to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity.
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Meet the Speakers
Alejandro Arteaga
Ecuador
Alejandro Arteaga is an Ecuadorian–Venezuelan biologist and conservationist. He serves as President and researcher at Khamai Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) created in 2022 to prevent loss of tropical biodiversity, promote new species discovery, and help mitigate the effects of global warming.
Asiem Sanyal
São Tomé and Príncipe
Asiem Sanyal is a conservationist, and a PADI instructor. He has worked in different islands around the world, from Cape Verde and Madagascar, to more recently Príncipe (São Tomé and Príncipe), where he is the Terrestrial Programme Manager with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Fundação Príncipe.
Christine Cooper
Australia
Dr Christine Cooper has a research and teaching academic position as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin University. Her research interests are primarily the thermal, energy and water balance of terrestrial vertebrate animals, and the influence of evolution, body mass, life history and environmental factors on these physiological traits.
Salanieta Kitolelei
Fiji
Salanieta Kitolelei or Sala (in short) is an Indigenous Fijian PhD scholar at the University of the South Pacific whose research focuses on the Indigenous and local knowledge of fishers in Fiji. Her research uses the Indigenous and local knowledge of fishers as an indicator to identify ecological keystone and cultural keystone species which may be exploited by fishers. Through her research, Sala is able to link modern scientific terms and/or global technical themes to local issues and translate to the people in order for local fishers to understand and value their own Indigenous and local knowledge.
Robbie Kirkman
The United Kingdom
Robbie is the Education Team Lead at Eden Project and has a particular focus on science education as well as managing the day to day operations of the Schools Team and teaching. Robbie develops and delivers learning experiences for pupils aged 4-18 years as well as for Higher Education. These sessions cover themes such as biodiversity, food security, regeneration, sustainability, environmental awareness and climate change.
Alex Rogers
South Africa
Alex Rogers lives in live in Cape Town South Africa and is passionate and driven individual when it comes to the preservation of our planet' biosphere. He studied nature conservation through the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and worked at various reserves before becoming the main educator at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).
Bohdan Prots
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Ukraine
Bohdan Prots, Assoc. Prof. Dr., CEO of the "Danube-Carpathian Programme" (Lviv, Ukraine). Whitley Award Winner for Nature Conservation (2007, London) (“Green Oscar” in Nature Conservation). Thirty-two years of expertise/research studies in biodiversity and natural resource management in countries of Europe and Asia; 18 years of management of international projects on nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in the Carpathian Region; For more than 11 years, he worked as the leader of WWF in Ukraine. Areas of expert work: conservation biology, plant ecology, protected areas management, plant invasion, floodplain management, and nature protection policy.
Emily Hazelwood
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The United States
Emily is a marine conservation biologist, offshore energy consultant, and entrepreneur. As a leader and explorer, Emily is committed to elevating the scientific understanding of our oceans in communities worldwide and she volunteers her time as a science educator at schools across the country. In 2018 Emily was recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the energy sector for her work developing sustainable, creative, and cost-effective solutions for the environmental issues that surround the offshore energy industry. Emily is also a PADI certified Dive Master and Ambassadiver and a SCUBAPRO Deep Elite team member.
Seheno Andriantsaralaza
Madagascar
Seheno is a conservation biologist. Her research aims to investigate what will happen to the baobab trees if there aren't any animals to spread their seeds and constitute the next generation. Seheno also passionate about conservation through working with local communities and empowering women in conservation efforts and activities. She was recently named to the 2023 class of the Explorers Club 50, celebrating incredible people around the world.
Rebecca Smith
Paraguay
Rebecca has lived in Paraguay for more than ten years, studying the hooded capuchins of the Paraguayan Atlantic Forest and is the Executive Director of Fundación Para La Tierra. She is a National Geographic Explorer, received the Lawrence Jacobsen Education Development Award from the International Primatological Society twice and the Cyril Rosen Award from the Primate Society of Great Britain and was shortlisted for the 2023 Whitley Award. She teaches environmental education in 26 rural and indigenous schools and is implementing a program of economically beneficial reforestation in the Atlantic Forest region with the indigenous Mbya Guaraní people, funded by The Rufford Foundation.
Fer Gual Suárez
Mexico
Fer is a researcher in Mexico who studies the ecology of bats, including migrating nectarivorous bats, how bats manage to survive in an urban landscape, and carnivorous bats. For the past five years he's visited some of the most well preserved ecosystems of the country, such as the Calakmul rainforest or the Gran Desierto de Altar desert learning about these bats. Fer aim is to better understand the conditions that allow them and all the species they interact with survive to better inform conservation efforts in the future.
Morteza Pourmirzai
Iran
As CEO of the Iranian Cheetah Society since 2018, Morteza has worked extensively on wildlife conservation projects, with a particular focus on the Asiatic Cheetah habitat. Through the use of camera traps, he's studied the last known population of cheetahs in Asia. Additionally, he's actively participated in a variety of educational and research activities. Morteza's work has involved collaborating closely with local communities, as well as national and international organizations, to help raise awareness about the importance of conservation efforts.
Cristal Ange
Colombia
Cristal Ange is a biopsychologist and the executive director and co-founder of the Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe, from where she has promoted a work agenda for the conservation of Colombia's natural and cultural heritage, mainly in places where biodiversity and cultural richness converge, including Montes de María, Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, the Caribbean wetlands, and the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, Serranía of Chiribiquete. The work led by Cristal has focused on strengthening governance processes that promote biodiversity conservation, with a strong emphasis in promoting the conservation of jaguars and understanding their role in shaping our identity and culture.
Micaela Camino
Argentina
Micaela has a Ph.D. in biology and is a conservationist working with local and indigenous communities in the South American Chaco. She's the Director of Proyecto Quimilero, which seeks the long-term conservation of Chaco's biodiversity; focusing on the quimilero (The Chacoan peccary) and its habitats. She's also a researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical research in Argentina. Micaela is and Edge of Existence Fellow and a Whitley Award winner from 2022.
Julie Van den Broeck
Peru
Julie Van den Broeck is an ecologist and conservation biologist from Belgium, specialized in tropical botany. She's working at Kawsay Biological Station in the Peruvian Amazon as head of research and conservation area. In this position Julie manages several fauna and flora projects where she leads teams of (local) biology students and volunteers.
Cárol Sierra-Durán
Spain
Cárol Sierra-Durán is a biologist from the National University of Colombia and a master's student in Biological Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Terrestrial Vertebrates of the Institute of Ecology. She is a conservation ambassador for Global South Bats, a network of bat scientists in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and a National Geographic Young Explorer.
Mireia Peris
Spain
Mireia Peris is an experienced communications and marketing expert with a passion for conservation. As Communications and Marketing Coordinator at MarAlliance, she spearheads initiatives to protect marine life and raise awareness of environmental issues. With over eight years of experience, Mireia has worked on projects ranging from educating communities in the Galapagos Islands to collaborating with CNN and the United Nations. Her love for the ocean drives her dedication to creating a sustainable future.
Frances Camille Rivera
Philippines
Camille Rivera is a 2022 National Geographic Explorer, a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Oceanus Conservation, an environmental NGO based in the Philippines where they focus on restoration and conservation of mangrove habitats around the country through working with local government environmental officers and grassroots communities. She has worked in ocean conservation for a decade with a focus in coastal management and conservation and engaged more than 7000 young people to educate and promote ocean literacy.
Ignacio de Saint-Malo
Panama
Ignacio is a marine conservation biologist who takes a special focus in the spatial ecology of marine megafauna within spatially and temporally dynamic pelagic seascapes. His research combines a diversity of technologies, such as animal telemetry, remote sensing, and advanced ecological modelling, with the goal of alleviating anthropogenic pressures (eg., Bycatch, Ship strikes) through management measures which are as fluid in space and time as are the ocean and it's users.
Shahriar Caesar Rahman
Bangladash
Shahriar Caesar Rahman is a conservation biologist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Caesar is a co-founder and the CEO of Creative Conservation Alliance, a Bangladesh based conservation organization dedicated to the ecological and cultural conservation of Bangladesh's last wild places. Caesar is currently running a community based conservation project in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. His work has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and popular media outlets. Caesar is the winner of the prestigious Whitley Award in 2018 and Future for Nature Award in 2017.
Jessica Hartel
Uganda
Jess has spent the bulk of her academic and professional career studying and protecting wild and captive chimpanzees as a primatologist and conservation biologist. Jess serves as the Director of Conservation and board member for the Kibale Chimpanzee Project (non-profit) in Kibale National Park Uganda. She directs (and has founded) conservation programs and educational outreach campaigns that mitigate anthropogenic threats to chimpanzees and other wildlife in the area. Jess is also the Conservation Program Manager for the Heartland Conservation Alliance in Kansas City.
Dan Tompkins
New Zealand
Dan is the Science Director at Predator Free 2050 Limited, helping to drive Aotearoa New Zealand’s ‘Predator Free 2050’ mission to eradicate mammal pests severely impacting native biodiversity from the country by 2050. Originally from the United Kingdom, with degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Oxford, he holds an honorary professorship in Zoology at the University of Otago.
Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya
Peru
Ruthmery Pillco is a Peruvian biologist and a National Geographic Explorer who works on conservation and biodiversity projects in the Tropical Forest of Costa Rica and Peru. In Peru, she leads an Andean bear conservation project for the NGO Conservación Amazónica-ACCA in the Manú National Park in the Peruvian Andes.
Glen Thompson
South Africa
Glen started his career in conservation in 2015 when he put his boots on the ground as an anti-poaching ranger. He them transitioned to crime scene management and necropsies of rhinos and elephants. In 2019 Glen became part of pangolin conservation initiatives in South Africa. Since then he has been part of sting operations. From 2022 Glen has been appointed as Illegal Wildlife Trade and Pangolin Specialist at Transfrontier Africa NPC, a non-profit conservation organization that runs The Black Mambas APU and The Bush Babies Environmental Education Program.
Esteban Brenes-Mora
Costa Rica
Esteban is a Costa Rican biologist with over 7 years of wildlife and habitat conservation experience in Central America, South-East Asia, and Europe. Esteban is currently the Mesoamerican Coordinator for Re:wild and Co-Founder of Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation. His career has been focused on planning, managing, and implementing community-based conservation and restoration programs. Esteban strategizes with local communities, indigenous peoples, farmers, and authorities to develop actions and economic activities that allow them to coexist with wildlife and promote the rewilding of the Planet.
Jorge Rojas
Costa Rica
Jorge is a Costa Rican Associate Researcher & Wildlife Veterinarian at the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation (CRWF), and is currently a PhD Candidate at the Integrative Conservation (ICON) Program at the University of Georgia (UGA). His main interests are: comprehending wildlife movement ecology through tagging technologies and camera trapping; understanding human-wildlife conflicts, and mitigation strategies implementation to reduce conflicts; and wildlife health and population genetics. Through all these approaches, he aims to integrate them to achieve human-wildlife coexistence. Jorge is devoted for team work and to contribute to tapir conservation at local communities through community-based solutions at TMBC.
Cute Mhlongo
South Africa
Sergeant Cute Mhlongo is a member of the Black Mambas Pangolin Guardians. She has served as an anti-poaching ranger since 2014, had numerous encounters with lions while doing foot patrols and represented The Black Mambas at international events in Belgium and The United Kingdom. Sergeant Cute is also part of the Mambas' team that was recognized as Highly Commended Ranger team by IUCN in 2022.
Nicky Petkov
Bulgaria
Nicky has been a member of Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaira since 1989, worked on different positions at BSPB in the period 1995 – 2015, including Conservation Director, member of the Board, Project coordinator and scientific consultant. In the period 2007-2010 he worked for Wetlands International in the Netherlands, as Flyway & Critical Sites Network Officer. Nicky's work mostly focuses on wetlands and waterbirds and have experience and interests in ornithological surveys and projects in the Balkans, Central Asia and Caucasus. He won a Whitley Award winner in 2019 for a project focused on the Red-breasted Goose conservation.
Diego Cardenosa
Colombia
Diego is a Colombian Marine Scientist focused on the conservation of elasmobranchs. He combines molecular and field-based tools to answer pressing questions for conservation to drive management actions around the world. His research has taken him from the largest wildlife markets in Asia, to unexplored regions in South America. Diego was recently named one of the Explorers Club 50 in recognition of the incredible work he is doing in global conservation of marine species.
Kirah Forman-Castillo
Belize
Kirah has over 20 years' experience working in Marine Conservation in Belize. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Belize, and master's degree in in Protected Areas Management and Ecoregional Development from UCI, Costa Rica. Has been involved in sea turtle conservation in Belize since 2008 and is currently Belize representative on the scientific committee for the Inter-American Convention for the Protection of Sea Turtles. Kirah has worked extensively with sea turtle nest monitoring and stranding and rehabilitation of turtles within Belize.
Andrea Quirós Vargas
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Costa Rica
Andrea Quiros is the Tour Coordinator and the Lead Tour Guide at Toucan Rescue Ranch. She has her Licentiate's degree in Management of Natural Resources from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) in Costa Rica, and has always been interested in working with captive wildlife. She's also learning a bit about animal husbandry and helps around with the animals as much as she can during her free time at the Ranch.
Sam Inglis
Hong Kong
Sam is the Wildlife Programme Manager for the ADM Capital Foundation, where he oversees projects on wildlife trade and crime. He is a researcher with experience working on a range of environmental issues in Asia, including water security, cryospheric change and twildlife trade. Sam has been a lead author on its reports characterising Hong Kong's significance in the global wildlife trade of animals and their derivatives. He continues to develop the Foundation's work on illegal wildlife trade, as well as emerging research on the trade in exotic species and convergence with organised crime.
Edwin Mudongo
Botswana
Dr. Edwin Mudongo was born in Francistown, eastern Botswana. He has managed a number of projects and has particular expertise in rangeland restoration. He is the research coordinator in Botswana with Conservancy Communities Living Amongst Wildlife Sustainably and manages their Herding Program. His unique mix of research, community work and government experience makes him the ideal person to lead their Pride in Our Prides into the next phase, aiming to bridge the long-standing gap between wildlife conservation and needs of local people.
Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan
India
Dr. Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan, a wildlife biologist by training with particular focus on the Asian elephants. Growing up watching elephants and listening to never-ending elephant tales, Sreedhar developed a deep passion for the species, which motivated him to choose a career in conservation biology, closely following and observing them, both in the wild and in captivity. He has been particularly interested in understanding behavioural adaptations in elephants using human-modified landscapes and has studied them in the Western Ghats and the Western Himalayas. He was also scientific advisor for the Academy Award winning short documentary The Elephant Whisperers.
Laurie Marker
Somaliland
Dr. Laurie Marker is a research scientist and conservation biologist recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on cheetahs. As Founder and Executive Director of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Dr. Marker has pioneered research, established conservation models and created cooperative alliances on behalf of the cheetah that never before existed. Under her leadership, CCF has grown into a world-class cheetah research, education and conservation institution that is now the longest-running and most successful cheetah conservation program in the world.
Ana María Villada
Costa Rica
Ana María Villada Rosales is a wildlife veterinarian who graduated
from Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico. She obtained her Master's in Conservation Medicine at Murdoch University, Australia. Since then, she has worked in rescue centers across Costa Rica, specializing in tropical wildlife and Xenarthra. Currently working for The Sloth Institute in conservation, research and rehabilitation of Choloepus hoffmanni and Bradypus variegatus.
Rodiansyah
Indonesia
Rodiansyah is a seven-year technical team leader of the Yayasan Planet Indonesia. He specializes in nature conservation and empowering indigenous communities, leading the formation of wildlife monitoring and smart patrol teams, combating illegal wildlife trade, and establishing project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams. Rodi's process-oriented approach to project management allows him to think critically and consider all perspectives, leading to a positive impact. Inspired by Borneo's tropical rainforests, he remains dedicated to their preservation. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring natural tourist spots with his wife and daughters.
Jessica Lee
Singapore
Jessica is a conservation ornithologist with a para-veterinary background. She overseas over 15 avian conservation and research projects across Southeast Asia, which includes building the network and capacity of conservation partners in ways that maximise impact on the ground. She is interested in the in situ and ex situ conservation management of threatened birds, as well as addressing key threats such as habitat loss and the illegal and unsustainable bird trade.
Desmond Majekodunmi
Nigeria
Desmond is an electro acoustic engineer\documentary producer, on air personality and an avowed Creation Care activist who established an agro-forestry farm in Lekki Lagos Nigeria 35 years ago which is now the Lekki Urban Forest Animal Sanctuary Initiative LUFASI. He is currently involved in several NGO’s including The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) where he serves on the governing council. They introduced ecology to the national school’s curriculum and spearheaded the establishment of a ministry of Environment and national Parks Authority. Having received numerous awards he also lectures frequently on ecological management and climate change as well as spearheading several environment protection rallies.
Bhargavi Srinivasulu
India
After her Ph.D. in 2002 from Osmania University, India, she chose to focus on researching the
ecology, distribution, and taxonomy of insectivorous bats in India as her post-doctoral research. Her current research focus is on resolving the taxonomy and the phylogenetic
relationships of the bats of the Indian subcontinent with those of Southeast Asia. She has been
awarded the Mohammed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Grant twice, the Rufford Small Grant, and
the Bat Conservation International Endangered Species Grant for the study and conservation of the
Critically Endangered Kolar Leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros hypophyllus).
Chien Lee
Borneo
Biologist turned photographer, Chien Lee worked in California as an environmental educator prior to moving to Borneo in 1996, having discovered an incurable fascination with its equatorial rainforests. He is currently an honorary research fellow at the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Chien’s primary focus for the past two decades has been documenting the rich diversity of the rainforests of Southeast Asia through photography and in the process he has succeeded in capturing the first ever images of many rare and endangered species in the region. He uses his photography as a tool to help convey an understanding and appreciation of nature among all audiences, with the aim of promoting a stronger interest in conservation.
Dedy Yansyah
Indonesia
Dedy is an Environmental Biology graduate from Syiah Kuala University, Aceh who has been working as Wildlife Protection Coordinator at Leuser Conservation Forum (FKL) in Aceh, Indonesia, since 2013. Previously Has worked for the wildlife conservation program since 2006. Currently leads 38 FKL’s Patrol/FKL Ranger Teams who work on the frontline of protecting the Leuser Ecosystem and its threatened wildlife. Currently, also involved in the Sumatran rhino protection program and acts as Program Coordinator in Leuser. For his contribution and a strong commitment to conservation, especially in the action to save the Sumatran rhino, Dedy was awarded the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) 2022.
Maxwell Hall
Switzerland
Max Hall works in communications and public engagement at the World Economic Forum. A former BBC journalist, he uses multimedia storytelling to engage global audiences and encourage world leaders to focus on tackling some of the biggest challenges that we face as a society. He has created sessions in Davos broadcast to millions around the world and works closely with climate and biodiversity experts at the Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate. Currently, he looks after flagship reports on topics ranging from AI to advanced manufacturing to the New Nature Economy.
Schedule
All time listed in Eastern Time
2:00 am Maxwell Hall
2:30 am Laurie Marker
3:00am Salanieta Kitolelei
3:30am Desmond Majekodunmi
4:00am Cárol Sierra-Durán
4:30am Frances Camille Rivera
5:00am Live from Eden Project with Robbie Kirkman
5:30am Bhargavi Srinivasulu
6:00am Christine Cooper
6:30am Live from SANCCOB with Alex Rogers
7:00am Asiem Sanyal
7:30am Jessica Lee
8:00am Glen Thompson and Sergeant Cute Mhlongo
8:30am Cristal Ange
9:00am Seheno Andriantsaralaza
9:30am Micaela Camino
10:00am Julie Van den Broeck
10:30am Emily Hazelwood
11:00am Bohdan Prots
11:30am Alejandro Arteaga
12:00pm Rebecca Smith
12:30pm Shahriar Caesar Rahman
1:00pm Live from Nicaragua with the Fabian Cousteau Ocean Learning Center
1:30pm Nicky Petkov
2:00pm Mireia Peris
2:30pm Morteza Pourmirzai
3:00pm Fer Gual-Suárez
3:30pm Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya
4:00pm Edwin Mudongo
4:30pm Live from the Toucan Rescue Ranch With Andrea Quirós Vargas
5:00pm Diego Cardenosa
5:30pm Jorge Rojas
6:00pm Jess Hartel
6:30pm Live Sloth Tracking with Ana María Villada
7:00pm Kirah Forman-Castillo
7:30pm Esteban Brenes
8:00pm Ignacio De Sant Malo
8:30pm Dedy Yansyah
9:00pm Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan
9:30pm Sam Inglis
10:00pm Chein Lee
10:30pm Rodiansyah
11:00pm Dan Tompkins
“I like to think of biodiversity of a given ecosystem, a forest, a wetland, a prairie, and so on, as a sort of tapestry of life. In this tapestry, each thread has a role to pay”
― Dr. Jane Goodall, closing year 2 of Global Bio Fest
The Global Biodiversity Festival