Rachel Asegbofeh Ikemeh is a Whitley Award-winning conservationist and Founder/Director at the Southwest Niger Delta Forest Project, a grassroots-focused conservation initiative that has been dedicated to the  protection of fragile wildlife populations and habitat across her project sites in Africa’s most populous nation. Rachel won the award in 2020 for her work on chimpanzee populations in Nigeria and is aiming to secure 20% of chimpanzee habitat in Southwest Nigeria. She is also the winner of the National Geographic Society Buffet Awards for Conservaton Leadership in Africa, a Tusk Conservation Awards Finalist. She works to protect some of the most highly threatened forest habitats and primate populations in southern Nigeria. For example, Rachel’s determined efforts has helped to bring back a species from the brink of extinction – the rare and critically endangered Niger Delta red colobus monkey, also, considered one of 25 most endangered primates in the world. She has helped to establish two protected areas and have also taken on the management of these PAs to restore habitats in these very highly threatened ecosystems which are also areas of high-security risks in the country. Rachel is the Co-Vice Chair for the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group African Section and Member of the International Primatological Society (IPS) education committee. Through her strategic positions in these networks, Rachel has been committed to championing the need to increase conservation leadership amongst Africans as she co-founded the African Primatological society in 2017. She’s trained the 55 persons that make up her team from local institutions and local communities.

Since 1996, Joanna Setchell  research has integrated methods including behaviour, morphology, demography, genetics, endocrinology, semiochemistry and dental histology to address questions relating to reproductive strategies, life history, sexual selection and signalling in primates. The majority of this work has focused on a semifree-ranging colony of mandrills, housed at the Centre International de Recherches Médicales, Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon. For more about our long-term studies of mandrills, please see this review, and this summary. She has also conducted primate fieldwork in Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Sabah, Malaysia, including personal experience of conservation issues and primate reintroductions. Her research is increasingly focused on human-wildlife coexistence and biodiversity conservation. She’s convinced that conservation must be underpinned by a deep understanding of the historical, political and social context. Her current work is in collaboration with Save Gabon's Primates to promote the conservation and welfare of primates in Gabon. She has a long-standing interest in the practice and ethics of primate research. She co-edited a book on Field and Laboratory Methods in Primatology with an explicit focus on ethics, helped to develop the International Primatological Society's Code of Best Practices in Field Primatology, and lead the establishment of a new IPS Vice-President for Equity and Ethics. Her recent book, Studying Primates, has a strong focus on equity, ethics and integrity. As President of the Primate Society of Great Britain, She is focused on the need to decolonize our discipline.

She is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology she joined Durham Anthropology in 2007. She have a PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge, and moved into Anthropology via post-doctoral research at the Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology at Roehampton University and in the Department of Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, and a temporary lectureship in Anthropology at University College London. She teaches biological and evolutionary anthropology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She won two awards for doctoral supervision. Also served on the University Senate as an elected representative of the Academic Electoral Assembly, and as Director of the MSc in Evolutionary Anthropology, Chair of the Exam Board, Director of Research, Inclusion Diversity and Equity champion, and Director of Postgraduate Research in my department.

Beth Kaplin is a biodiversity conservation scientist currently serving as the first Director of the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity & Natural Resource Management at University of Rwanda (UR) since 2017. This is a relatively new knowledge management research center with UNESCO Category 2 Center status aimed at contributing science to policy. Beth is a Professor of Conservation Science at UR, and supervises BSc, MSc and PhD students at UR and other academic institutions. She is an affiliated Research Professor in the School for the Environment and Senior Fellow at the Center of Global Governance and Sustainability, both at University of Massachusetts-Boston. She is currently President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. She received her BSc in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, and MSc and PhD in Zoology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. From 2006 to 2015, she raised over 1 million USD from the MacArthur Foundation to develop BSc and MSc programs in biodiversity conservation at National University of Rwanda. She also created the Regional Network for Conservation Educators in the Albertine Rift to support and empower conservation scientists in Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, and Uganda with MacArthur Foundation support. Beth maintains a research program with her students on tropical forest ecology, seed dispersal, primates, protected areas conservation, ecosystem services, climate adaptation, and human-wildlife interactions that began in 1990 when she first came to do research in Nyungwe forest, Rwanda. Under her direction, the Center manages ~USD$ 2 million in externally raised funds for research and projects annually, and she oversaw the revitalization of the National Herbarium of Rwanda which holds over 20,000 specimens. She is interested in evaluating and monitoring effectiveness of ecosystem-based adaptation and landscape restoration initiatives and is working with colleagues to develop the Rwanda Biodiversity Information system. Dr. Kaplin has focused her career on the role of higher education in building capacity for biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation research in Africa. She lives in Rwanda with her husband and visits their family home in Vermont, USA whenever possible.

She has been fortunate to participate in several workshops on active teaching and student-centered learning, primarily through the Center for Biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History. She delivers teacher training workshops in various contexts across the USA and Africa, and she is passionate about integrating active, student-centered teaching methods into her classrooms. She has developed undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD-level courses and programs of study in biodiversity conservation and environmental studies at various institutions in the USA and Africa. She teaches courses in ecology, research methods, conservation biology, community conservation, professional skills, and tropical ecology. Additionally, she has led field study trips in Costa Rica, the USA (including Florida, Vermont, New Hampshire), and East and Central Africa.

Elle a eu la chance de participer à plusieurs ateliers sur l'enseignement actif et l'apprentissage centré sur l'étudiant, principalement par l'intermédiaire du Centre pour la biodiversité du Musée américain d'histoire naturelle. Elle anime des ateliers de formation d'enseignants dans divers contextes aux États-Unis et en Afrique, et elle est passionnée par l'intégration de méthodes d'enseignement actives et centrées sur l'étudiant dans ses classes. Elle a développé des cours et des programmes d’études de premier cycle, de maîtrise et de doctorat en conservation de la biodiversité et en études environnementales dans diverses institutions aux États-Unis et en Afrique. Elle donne des cours sur l'écologie, les méthodes de recherche, la biologie de la conservation, la conservation communautaire, les compétences professionnelles et l'écologie tropicale. De plus, elle a dirigé des voyages d'études sur le terrain au Costa Rica, aux États-Unis (notamment en Floride, au Vermont et au New Hampshire) et en Afrique de l'Est et centrale.

Ekwoge Abwe (Cameroon) is the manager of the Ebo Forest Research Project and Secretary General of the APS. He is an expert on Nigerian-Cameroon chimpanzees. But back in 2004 he was working as a cartographer, mapping in the forest. He is a primatologist by training. He began my conservation career in 1998, first as a geographic information system operator and in 2003, He started working as a research assistant on primate surveys under Dr. Bethan Morgan. In August 2005, He observed chimpanzees cracking nuts of Coula edulis in Ebo using stone hammers. This was the first observation of this subsistence tool use behavior outside western chimpanzees in west Africa, and it rekindled my interest in primates and especially great apes. In 2010, He completed an MSc in Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes University, UK ,and in 2018, He completed his doctoral degree at Drexel University, USA with focus on behavioral diversity in two genetically distinct Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee populations in distinct habitats (rainforest and forest-woodland-savanna mosaic). In the course of time, He came to understand the diversity of primate species in Cameroon, but even more important, the threats the different species were facing across their natural habitats in the country. Initial survey results in the Ebo forest for example showed that the diversity of primate species including great apes, other large mammals and plants was very high. In addition, the cultures and livelihoods of more than 40 communities adjacent to the forest were intricately linked with this rich biodiversity. This human-biodiversity matrix has shaped my philosophy of inclusion (especially of grassroots communities) in biodiversity conservation. Today he collaborate with local community groups around the Ebo forest to promote community-led conservation initiatives.

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is one of the leading conservationists and scientists working to save the critically endangered mountain gorillas of East Africa. She is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), a 16-year old nonprofit organization that promotes conservation by improving the quality of life of people and wildlife to enable them to coexist in and around protected areas in Africa. She became an

Ashoka Fellow in 2007 for merging Uganda’s wildlife management and rural public health programs to create common resources for both people and animals.Dr. Gladys trained as a veterinarian at the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College. Between 1996 and 2000, she set up the first Veterinary Unit at the Uganda Wildlife Authority. From 2000 to 2003, she completed a zoological medicine residency and masters in specialized veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Zoological Park. Prior to setting up CTPH she also did a certificate in Non-profit management from Duke University. Most recently in 2016, she completed an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability – Social Entrepreneurship Track.

 Her most recent awards include the 2017 World Wildlife Day Award from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) for outstanding contribution to conservation in Uganda and 2017 Golden Jubilee Award from the President of Uganda for distinguished service to the nation as a veterinarian and conservationist on International Women’s Day. Other awards include San Diego Zoo’s 2008 “Conservation in Action Award,” the 2009 Whitley Gold Award for outstanding leadership in grassroots nature conservation; 2011 Wings World Quest Women of Discovery Humanitarian Award, and 2014 CEO Communications Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government Award in Medicine and Veterinary category.

Under her leadership, Conservation Through Public Health won the Global Development Network 2012 Japanese Most Innovative Development Project Award for scaling social service delivery. Dr. Gladys recently became a National Geographic Explorer and winner of the Sierra Club’s 2018 EarthCare Award. 2019 Finalist for the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa ,the 2020 Uganda Veterinary Association World Veterinary Day Award and the 2020 Aldo Leopold award. She is on the leadership council of Women for the Environment in Africa.

Pr. Jonah Ratsimbazafy is a native of Madagascar. He received his PhD in Physical Anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University in Madagascar. Currently, he is the President of the International Primatological Society (IPS). He is also the President of the Madagascar Primate Research Group (GERP), the Director of the Houston Zoo Madagascar Programs, a co-Vice-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group-Madagascar, a National Geography Explorer, counselor of the Lemur Conservation Network, a member of the advisory board for African Primatological Society (APS) and a representative of CITES. He is a fellow member of the African Academic of Sciences (AAS) and the World Academic of Sciences (TWAS). 

Leadro Jerusalinsky Leadro Jerusalinsky earned his degrees as Bachelor in Biological Sciences (UFRGS, 1997), Master in Genetics and Molecular Biology (UFRGS, 2001) and Doctor in Biological Sciences - Zoology (UFPB, 2013). Environmental Analyst since 2003, at the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA, 2003-2007) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio, 2007-present), both autarchies linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Environment. Head of the National Center for Research and Conservation of Brazilian Primates (ICMBio/CPB) since 2009. Deputy Chair of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. Member of the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group. Member of the Brazilian Society of Primatology (SBPr) Council. Former President (2018-2021) and former Secretary (2015-2017) of the Latin American Society of Primatology (SLAPrim). Collaborating researcher of the Urban Monkeys Program (UFRGS). Its main areas of expertise are: Neotropical Primate Conservation, Primatology, Strategic Planning for Conservation, and Conservation Biology.

Sian Waters have been working with wildlife for over 30 years, specialising in primate conservation issues and now an independent consultant.  She has graduate and post-graduate qualifications in Psychology and Biological Science from the University of Wales. Her PhD thesis assessed the benefits of using ethnographic data to drive conservation strategy in Barbary macaque habitat in Morocco.  Her  inclusive approach greatly increased the efficiency and long term sustainability of our conservation initiatives by identifying social and cultural obstacles to conservation, meaningful engagement and inclusion of local stakeholders leading to pro-conservation behaviour change.​ 

Her research focuses the complex facets of human-wildlife coexistence particularly human-animal relations as well as people's perceptions of wildlife conservation. She is the Co-vice-chair of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group's Section for Human-Primate Interactions, and a member of the core team of the IUCN Conservation Translocation Specialist Group Section for human-wildlife interactions. Fieldwork experience includes Belize, Cambodia, Canada, Laos, Mauritius, Morocco, USA, Venezuela and Vietnam. She is a native English speaker and also fluent in Spanish and Italian and fairly skilled in the use of social media.

Prof. Colleen T. Downs is a South African Research Chair and has been based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal since 1994. Her research interests are broad and interdisciplinary, spanning the conservation, ecology, physiology and behavior of terrestrial vertebrates with changing land use. This includes ecosystem health in KwaZulu-Natal, incorporating conservation, general biology and persistence of mammal, herpetological and bird species with changing land use (including urban ecology). There is a focus on species such as Cape parrots, bushbuck, oribi, pelicans, Cape vultures, Nile crocodiles, fruit bats, raptors, small carnivores and feral cats. Her other key contribution has been in the development of increased research capacity at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research group is currently investigating ecosystem health and functionality across a range of taxa and biomes in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa, with a focus on species distributions, persistence and anthropogenic threats. They have also produced recommendations for conservation and landscape managers on how best to preserve ecosystem functionality based on sound ecological research.

Pr.Inza Koné (Côte d’Ivoire) is Director General of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS), President of the African Primatological Society (APS) and Co-Vice Chair of the Africa Section of the IUCN/SSC Primates Specialist Group (PSG).

Inza Koné is a Full Professor of Conservation Biology at the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Since July 2018 he has been Managing Director of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS). His work focuses on the management of natural resources and the conservation of large mammal species, especially primates. This work makes links between ecology, economy, and culture for the empowerment of rural communities. Inza has won several international and national awards, including the 2009 Future for Nature Award (the Netherlands), the 2012 Whitley Award for Nature Conservation (UK), the 2015 National Research Award (Côte d’Ivoire), the 2020 Presidential Award of the International Primatological Society, and the Officer Medal in the order of merit of national education in Côte d’Ivoire. He is active in several international professional organizations, including as President of the African Primatological Society since 2017, co-Vice Chair of the Africa Section of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, a member of several committees of the International Primatological Society, a member of the IUCN/SSC Hippopotamus Specialist Group, a member of the Regional Advisory Committee of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) program for West Africa, and Chairman of the Group of Evaluators for the Green List of Protected Areas in Côte d’Ivoire (IUCN). He has authored over 100 publications in the fields of primatology, conservation, behavioral ecology, and environmental education. He recently won the Rolex Awards for Enterprise support of exceptional individuals who have the courage and conviction to take on major challenges, initiating extraordinary projects that make the world a better place.

Josia is the CEO and co-founder of IMPACT Madagascar, an NGO that protects and conserves the unique biodiversity of Madagascar while also improving the lives of its people. The challenges are wide-ranging and complex – the island has already lost 90% of its forest cover, severely impacting the habitat of lemur populations, including the Critically Endangered crowned sifaka. At the same time, 75% of Madagascar’s 20 million inhabitants are living in rural areas, with around 70% surviving on less than one dollar a day. Through Josia’s leadership, IMPACT has been able to protect vital ecosystems that sustain the lemurs, while also maintaining ecosystem services for local people, such as safe water and agricultural land. Josia also worked as the Environment Manager of a large mining company, with extensive experience in high-level strategic planning, large team performance management, and operations and compliance management. In addition to receiving the prestigious Whitley Award for conservation leaders, she also received the Nature-based Solutions Award, which supports climate-smart community-based programs in Madagascar. Josia completed her Ph.D. in Primatology and Conservation from Oxford Brookes University. At Maliasili, Josia uses her community-driven natural resources management skills and experience to foster the organizational development and capacities of Malagasy grassroots conservation organizations.