Speakers

Tumursukh was born in 1964 in Khuvgul province (Ulaan-Uul). A graduate of the National University of Mongolia, he could have become a chemistry teacher. But one night, he received a call from Mother Nature, who asked him in his dream to work for her protection. Tumursukh Jal was appointed director of the "red taiga" protected area (in 2012).

The Taiga has the highest density of rivers and natural springs in the world. Weakened by years of plundering by foreign mining companies, which resulted in an alarming collapse of its biodiversity, this forest is still threatened today by the greed of illegal hunters and miners, often from the local population.

  A former hunter, aware of the urgent need to act to save his country's natural and cultural heritage, he has since made it his mission to preserve the nature and forests of his region for the well-being of future generations by offering former illegal hunters the opportunity to become Forest Guardians.

Mundiya Kepanga is a Papuan chief from the Huli tribe (Papua New Guinea), and the main actor in the original film freres des arbres (Brothers of the Trees), which gave rise to the present series.

Today, he has become an international advocate for primary forests. He is now a regular speaker around the world, invited by various organizations (museums, local authorities, schools, etc.) to address the issue of forest protection and respect for indigenous peoples.

Aware of the value now placed on his words and faced with the many threats to the world's forests, Mundiya takes very seriously the role he can play in changing attitudes worldwide.

Twyla grew up in the K'asho Got'ine district in the Sahtu region of Canada's Northwest Territories and is now a member of the "Guardians of the Earth". Working with scientists and community elders, she mobilizes all generations in her fight to respect the rights of indigenous peoples, their lands, and protect the great boreal forest.

For her, the preservation of this precious forest, and its associated waters and wildlife, is first and foremost about connecting with the Earth and passing on the knowledge of the Elders to the next generation of Elders, right down to the youngest members of the community, including Twyla's four children.

The Gabonese forest, one of the most beautiful and richest tropical forests in the world, boasts unique biodiversity and invaluable plant species resources. Having long been protected from the onslaught of logging companies, this natural heritage is now highly coveted and threatened by massive poaching.

Mambongo is a traditional practitioner in Libreville, a "medicine man" and a highly respected teacher specializing in skin diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, kidney problems and the removal of curses.... Through the practice of the traditional Bwiti rite and his extensive knowledge of indigenous medicines, he calls for a renewal of the spiritual bond that unites us with the forest.

He is in the process of creating a village outside Libreville, working with Blessings of the Forest to plant iboga and offer regenerative life for himself and future generations.

Benki Piyãko, founder and President of the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, is an indigenous spiritual and political leader from the Ashaninka People of Brazil. He has championed the rights of indigenous peoples for decades, and particularly those related to indigenous lands, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge.

 He was designated by his grandfather, Samuel Piyãko to be one of the Ashaninka “Ãtawiaris” (shaman or pajé in the Ashaninka language) and, since childhood, started fighting for the protection of their territories and the Amazon Forest. Benki Piyãko began his reforestation, education and community- building projects at a young age in his home village Apiwtxa. In 2007, he purchased and regenerated a deforested land in the nearest by town of Marechal Thaumaturgo and, for the past six years, he has been building out the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute.

To date, Benki Piyãko has planted over 2,5 million trees and he is actively working to recover degraded lands, watersheds and forests, and to repopulate ecosystems with animals and plant species on the brink of extinction. He has worked with nonprofit organizations, political and environmental activists from all over the world. His extraordinary efforts to protect the Amazon and its indigenous peoples gained him global recognition, also making him a recipient of the UN Equator Prize in 2017 alongside his community, Apiwtxa.

Trained as an economist, Sebastião Salgado began his photographic career in 1973 in Paris, working with the Sygma, Gamma and Magnum Photos photo agencies. Today, with Lélia Wanick Salgado, his life and work partner, he has his own structure. He has traveled to over 100 countries for his photographic projects, which, in addition to numerous publications in the international press, have been featured in numerous books and exhibitions - designed by Lélia - such as "Sahel, l'homme en détresse", "Autres Amériques", "La Main de l'Homme", "Terra", "Exodes", "Afrique", "Genesis" or "Gold". He is a member of France's Académie des Beaux-Arts, Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Doctor Honoris Causa of Harvard University (USA), and his major honors include Italy's Prix Primo Levi, the German Book Trade's Peace Prize and the Japan Art Association's Prix Praemium Imperiale, considered the Nobel of the Arts. In 1998, he and Lélia founded Instituto Terra in Brazil, a non-profit civil organization focused on reforestation, environmental education and sustainable rural development in the Rio Doce valley, in the state of Minas Gerais.

Instituto Terra has created a forest rich in flora and fauna endemic to the Atlantic Forest. In 2021, the couple launched a book and a photographic exhibition on the Amazon rainforest & the indigenous communities who live there, to conserve vital biodiversity and safeguard endangered populations.

Benki Piyãko, founder and President of the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, is an indigenous spiritual and political leader from the Ashaninka People of Brazil. He has championed the rights of indigenous peoples for decades, and particularly those related to indigenous lands, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge.

 He was designated by his grandfather, Samuel Piyãko to be one of the Ashaninka “Ãtawiaris” (shaman or pajé in the Ashaninka language) and, since childhood, started fighting for the protection of their territories and the Amazon Forest. Benki Piyãko began his reforestation, education and community- building projects at a young age in his home village Apiwtxa. In 2007, he purchased and regenerated a deforested land in the nearest by town of Marechal Thaumaturgo and, for the past six years, he has been building out the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute.

To date, Benki Piyãko has planted over 2,5 million trees and he is actively working to recover degraded lands, watersheds and forests, and to repopulate ecosystems with animals and plant species on the brink of extinction. He has worked with nonprofit organizations, political and environmental activists from all over the world. His extraordinary efforts to protect the Amazon and its indigenous peoples gained him global recognition, also making him a recipient of the UN Equator Prize in 2017 alongside his community, Apiwtxa.

Nemonte Nenquimo is an Indigenous Waorani woman committed to defending her ancestral territory, culture, and way of life in the Amazon rainforest.

Raised in the traditional community of Nemonpare in the Pastaza region of the Ecuadorian Amazon, Nenquimo co-founded the Indigenous-led nonprofit organization Ceibo Alliance in 2015 to protect Indigenous lands and livelihoods from resource extraction within their territories.

In 2018, she was elected the first female president of CONCONAWEP, the Waorani organization of Pastaza province. Nemonte led her people to a historic legal victory against the Ecuadorian government, which protected over 200,000 hectares of primary rainforest in the Amazon and set a precedent for Indigenous rights across the region.

As a result of her leadership, in 2020 she won the Goldman Environmental Prize and was nominated as one of TIME's 100 most influential people.

Today, Nemonte is working with Indigenous nations across Ecuador to develop new models for Indigenous education. She continues fighting for the survival of indigenous culture and territory, and against the ongoing ecological crisis in the Amazon.

Carlos Nobre, a Brazilian Earth System scientist, with a degree in Electronics Engineering from the Aeronautics Institute of Technology (Brazil, 1974) and a a PhD in Meteorology from the MIT (USA, 1983) has dedicated his scientific carrier mostly to Amazonian and climate science at Brazil’s National Institutes of Amazonian Research and Space Research. In 1990, he proposed the hypothesis of Amazon savanization in response to deforestation. He was Program Scientist of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia. He is a former National Secretary of R&D of Ministry of Science and Technology of Brazil and former President of the Federal Agency for Post-Graduate Education. A distinguished member of numerous scientific academies, he was one of the authors of IPCC AR4 awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. A senior researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of São Paulo, he founded the Amazon Third Way-Amazonia 4.0 initiative, promoting a new development model based on a bioeconomy linked to biodiversity & incorporating the technologies of the 4th industrial revolution. Co-chair of the Amazon Science Group, he leads 250 researchers in assessments and drafting guidelines. The group merges indigenous & local knowledge with science to develop technologies supporting a socio-bioeconomy linked to healthy forest and river ecosystems.

Juliette Biao Koudénoukpo, a citizen of Benin and Canada, has been the Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat since January 2022. With 32 years' experience in international development, she has led complex initiatives in Africa, Latin America and Canada, focusing on the environment, community livelihoods and gender equality. The first woman forester in West Africa, she has initiated innovative projects, including participatory management of protected areas. Prior to her current role, she held senior positions with the United Nations Environment Programme and Canadian Crossroads International. A former environment minister in Benin, Ms Biao holds a master's degree in forest economics, a doctorate in public policy and administration, and has received awards such as the Global Women's Leadership and Green Future Leadership prizes, as well as the title of Commandeur de l'Ordre national du mérite. She is fluent in English, French and Bulgarian, and has a basic knowledge of Spanish.

Tasso Azevedo, a forestry engineer with a degree from the University of São Paulo, is the founder and general coordinator of MapBiomas, a collaborative network of more than 70 organisations in 14 countries working for the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. As creator of the Climate Observatory, he is responsible for its technical coordination and directed the SEEG, System to Estimate Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals in Brazil, from 2012 to 2022. Founder and former director of IMAFLORA, the largest FSC and sustainable agriculture certification body in Brazil, Tasso has also held key positions in the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment. As Chairman of the Board of the Connecting Forest People initiative, he established a network protecting over 120 million hectares of forest in the Amazon. A member of several boards of directors, a TED Global speaker and an affiliated researcher at the Brazil Lab at Princeton University, Tasso has received distinctions such as the Bright Award, Stanford's Global Sustainability Award (2014), the Skoll Award on Social Entrepreneurship (2022), and the Schwab Foundation Award for Collective Impact (2023).

Lucy Mulenkei is Masaai from Kenya. Ms Mulenkei has many years' experience in the field of gender equality and community development. She focuses on environmental issues, including work on the various conventions, in particular biodiversity, climate change and desertification.

As Executive Director of the Indigenous Information Network, she has advocated for the recognition, voice and rights of women and girls from remote indigenous peoples to be heard.  

Ms Mulenkei plays many roles: she is a member of several boards at national, regional and international level, co-founder of several indigenous peoples' networks, including the African Indigenous Women's Organization, the International Indigenous Women's Forum, the Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), of which she is one of the co-chairs. She was also appointed member and co-chair of the UNEP/FAO Advisory Group on Ecosystem Restoration. This is her second term as a member.

Maria is from Mexico and currently lives in London, UK. She is Communications Lead and Product Support at Digital Democracy, where she collaborates with frontline communities using mapping and monitoring tools to defend environmental and human rights.

With a background in social anthropology from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México and an M.A in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta, Canada, she has collaborated with Indigenous Peoples in Latin America on community media processes and diverse digital strategies to access, share and preserve local knowledge in self-determined ways. Her writing and work are rooted in her commitment to diversity and her love for storytelling.

Valentina Figuera Martínez is a feminist, researcher and Gender Justice and Forests Campaign coordinator at the Global Forest Coalition (GFC). She promotes actions to protect forest ecosystems and the rights of Indigenous, rural and ethnically diverse women, in all their diversity, through developing strategic and technical policies, as well as campaign activities with GFC member groups to mainstream gender and women’s empowerment.

Valentina has a great deal of international experience working with environmental and gender justice, forest and biodiversity, as well as in the fields of grassroots movements, international affairs, diplomacy and political sciences.

She earned a P.h.D. from the Federal University of Sao Carlos. She is from Venezuela and is based in Brazil.

Mr. Lakpa Nuri Sherpa belongs to Sherpa Indigenous Community from Nepal. Currently, Lakpa heads the Environment Program of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP).

Lakpa has been playing key roles in building and strengthening the capacity and policy advocacy of Indigenous Peoples on climate and biodiversity at local, national, and regional levels. He also actively supports the international climate movement of Indigenous Peoples as the focal point of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC).

He also serves as the co-chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB).

Anindya Prima Hadi, also known as Nindy, is a Program Manager in Kaleka. Nindy holds a Master Degree in Environmental Management from the National University of Singapore (NUS), which research focused on developing a strategy to protect the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) while maintaining the customary use of indigenous people in the western islands of Sumatra.

Currently, Nindy is focusing on supervising the implementation team to ensure the activities and achievements meet the expected targets and deadlines.

She leads five complex projects, including the FPA2 project, and manages an annual budget of USD 700,000 aimed to reduce deforestation and forest and land fire while ensuring high conservation value protection in Seruyan, Kotawaringin Barat, Sukamara (Central Kalimantan), Ketapang (West Kalimantan), and Fakfak (West Papua) districts, Indonesia.

She has also led community-based restoration to increase environmental services and local livelihoods. Prior to joining Kaleka, she worked as a GIS Analyst and Baseline Researcher in four different environmental, forestry, and conservation projects.

Christina Voigt is a renowned expert in international environmental law and professor at the University of Oslo.

She works in particular on legal issues relating to climate change, biodiversity conservation, environmental multilateralism and sustainability.

Professor Voigt has published extensively on these subjects and is a frequent speaker at national and international events.

She also works as a legal advisor for the Norwegian government, as well as for several international and non-governmental organizations.

Christina Voigt is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), a member of the IUCN Climate Change Task Force and Chair of the IUCN WCEL Climate Change Specialist Group.

She is also a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Pro-gramme, and in this capacity co-authored the UN Secretary-General's report "Gaps in international environmental law and environment-related instruments" (2018).

Judge of the Brazilian High Court and world leader in the environmental law community. Judge Benjamin is President of the World Commission on Environmental Law of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and OAS Goodwill Ambassador for Environmental Justice.  

He was recently sworn in as Director of Brazil's National Judicial School. He was Deputy Attorney General of the Brazilian State of Sao Paulo for 20 years and headed the Environmental Protection Division for several years.  

Judge Benjamin was the founding president of the Brazilian Institute of Consumer Law and Policy and the Law Institute for a Green Planet. He is also a member of the United Nations Secretary-General's Panel on Environmental Crime and Secretary-General of the International Advisory Council on Environmental Crime. Environmental Justice of the UN Environment. He is a member of the Interim Steering Committee of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment.

Ramiro Batzín Chojoj (Maya Kaqchikel) is executive director of the Sotz'il association and coordinator of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB). In addition, he is an advisor and vice-president of IUCN, a member of the National Council on Climate Change in Guatemala, coordinator of the Indigenous Roundtable on Climate Change in Guatemala and an indigenous expert on climate change adaptation and mitigation with indigenous peoples, natural resources, biodiversity, forests, communal lands, protected areas, traditional knowledge, risk management, full and effective participation, consultation and free, prior and informed consent.

Eeshan Chaturvedi is an environmental and energy Lawyer, and scholar. He is the Founder-Director of the Environmental Consultancy Firm 'EnviPol', Co-Director of the Global Policy, Diplomacy, and Sustainability (GPODS) Fellowship (gpods.org), Assistant Dean at the Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability (sabbatical), and also Member of prestigious global organizations such as the World Commission on Environmental Law; International Association for Water Law, Rome; Global Network for Human Rights and Environment, and LAWASIA. He holds a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Stanford Law School, where he was selected as one of the top 20 Rising Environmental Leaders. Eeshan is currently on a sabbatical from teaching to pursue an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Climate law, policy and finance.

Txai began her activism at a very young age, following in the footsteps of her parents who were also human rights defenders. She is a young indigenous leader of the Paiter Suruí people and founded the Rondônia Indigenous Youth movement with the aim of articulating and strengthening the indigenous youth of her state.

She was the only Brazilian to speak at the opening of COP26 to leaders from all over the world. She is the coordinator of the Ethno-environmental Defence Association - Kanindé, an organization that has been working for more than 30 years, currently in Rondônia, the south of Amazonas and the northwest of Mato Grosso with more than 15 different ethnic groups, working on territorial protection, food security for indigenous communities, strengthening grassroots, youth and women's organizations, national and international political advocacy, as well as working with other organizations on strategic litigation and activism.

She is currently an alternate member of the State Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Rondônia. A major voice in indigenous climate activism, she is a volunteer at Engajamundo and a board member of WWF-Brazil. She is an advisor to the UN Global Compact. Columnist for Folha de São Paulo.

Ajay has worked at the intersections of rights, development and sustainability for more than two decades. He is director of PAIRVI and Centre for Community Economics. He is the Co Chair of the Asia Pacific Regional CSO (Civil Services Officer's) Engagement Mechanism, a platform of more than 500 CSOs all over Asia and the Pacific. He is also elected Regional (Asia Pacific) Facilitator for the UNEP. He was co chair of the Major Groups Coordination Mechanism, a platform of all ECOSOC accredited CSOs working on the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals)

Rohit has been in conservation for 20 years and brings his considerable experience, enthusiasm and insights into his position as Asia Representative oh International Ranger Federation (IRF).

Rohit has been instrumental in driving forward the agenda to professionalize the ranger force globally.  

In addition, Rohit is also the president of the Ranger Federations of Asia. KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Preis 2022 was given to him for his leadership in ranger work.

Andrew Campbell, the Chief Executive Officer of the Game Rangers' Association of Africa, is a passionate advocate for wildlife conservation and fostering harmonious relationships between rangers, communities and nature.  

Andrew is set to passionately champion the indispensable role of rangers in forest and community conservation at the upcoming Forest and Communities Initiative conference. Andrew has the privilege to give back to conservation by supporting rangers and the work they for nature. They are his inspiration.

Mundiya Kepanga is a Papuan chief from the Huli tribe (Papua New Guinea), and the main actor in the original film freres des arbres (Brothers of the Trees), which gave rise to the present series.

Today, he has become an international advocate for primary forests. He is now a regular speaker around the world, invited by various organizations (museums, local authorities, schools, etc.) to address the issue of forest protection and respect for indigenous peoples.

Aware of the value now placed on his words and faced with the many threats to the world's forests, Mundiya takes very seriously the role he can play in changing attitudes worldwide.

Mesoamerican woman, biologist, singer and songwriter, believer in a new regenerative economy. Over 18 years' experience in sustainable development, specializing in financing and managing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Researcher on wild tropical palms and their relations with local communities (Guatemala). Analysis of the state of biodiversity and national reports for the Convention on Biological Diversity (Guatemala and Costa Rica). Negotiation and synergy opportunities for the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Desertification and Drought (UNFCCC), with a particular focus on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Program Officer Energy and Environment UNDP Guatemala (2006-2012). Support for national processes to design and implement public policy on biodiversity (Guatemala and Costa Rica). Design, implementation and evaluation of development projects (Latin America). Biodiversity Specialist UNDP Costa Rica (2016-2020). Gender mainstreaming, inclusion of indigenous peoples and human rights approach. Coordinator of the UNDP Costa Rica Biodiversity Financing Initiative (2020-present).

Onel Masardule, is of the Guna Indigenous Peoples of Panama. 

He holds a degree in science with studies in Chemistry and specialization courses in Sustainable Development, Phytotechnology for Industrial Effluent Treatment and Management.   

Onel has extensive experience in the promotion of Indigenous Peoples' Rights and the environment,having been responsible for the coordination and implementation of environmental projects.  

He currently serves as Executive Director of the Foundation for the Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge (FPCI), Technical person for the Indigenous Forum of Abya Yala (FIAY), Mesoamerican Indigenous Representative in the Participants Committee of the World Bank's FCPF program and member of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform for knowledge exchange within the framework of the UNFCCC.   

He currently participates in the meetings and activities of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).   

He also has extensive experience and participation in workshops, expert meetings and forums on environment, natural resources and indigenous knowledge.