RCF24ENCA Keynote speakers

Goedele Van der Spiegel, Director General, Flemish Agency for Nature and Forest  

Goedele Van der Spiegel has been the Director-General at the Agency for Nature and Forests since 2023. The connecting thread in her career is nature and environmental policy, as well as digitalisation. One of her key focuses is innovation in the nature sector. Additionally, she firmly believes in collaboration between governments, organisations, and private managers to further improve nature conservation in Flanders.

Razan Al Mubarak, IUCN President

Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak is a United Arab Emirates native who for more than twenty years has supported her country’s efforts to realize a more sustainable future while spearheading progressive environmental protection, species conservation, and global climate action. She was elected President of the IUCN, the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it, in September 2021. She is the second woman to lead the organization in its 75-year history and its first president from West Asia. Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak serves as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of COP28 Presidency. Her diverse experience leading the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the largest environmental regulatory agency in the Middle East, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, an international philanthropic organization supporting species conservation projects worldwide, and Emirates Nature – WWF, an Emirates-based NGO focused on citizen engagement, earned her recognition as one of the top 100 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2018. 

Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General

Dr Grethel Aguilar, born in Costa Rica, was appointed IUCN Director General in October 2023. Dr Aguilar brings with her thirty years of experience in conservation and sustainable development, having worked extensively on developing and applying environmental law and policy in collaboration with governments and civil society. She is deeply passionate about the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities and has pushed for the inclusion of their knowledge and experience in mainstream conservation policy. Through her work, Dr Aguilar has helped communities access clean water and land right, advocated for environmental justice, promoted a “whole of society” approach to conservation, and championed gender equality in environmental governance. Most recently, she held the position of IUCN Deputy Director General, starting in 2021, and prior to this, IUCN Acting Director General (2019-2020) and Regional Director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (2005-2019). She served as the 2018 Dorothy S. McCluskey Visiting Fellow in Conservation at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and in 2001 received the title of Doctor of Law Outstanding cum laude from the University of Alicante, Spain.   

Hilde Eggermont, IUCN Vice President/Director General of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)

Hilde Eggermont is a freshwater biologist with a PhD in paleolimnology (Ghent University). She currently serves as the Director of INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest), an independent research institute of the Flemish government. INBO supports and evaluates biodiversity policy and management through applied scientific research, data, and knowledge sharing. Since 2016, Hilde has been a member of the IUCN Council, and in 2021, she took on the role of IUCN Vice President. She has been strongly engaged in the Belgian and European biodiversity research landscape for over a decade. Between 2012 and 2023, she was the Coordinator of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform - a national science-policy interface dedicated to biodiversity - and served as Chair of Biodiversa+, a pan-European partnership of 40 countries supporting biodiversity research, funded by the European Commission. In her daily work, Hilde focuses primarily on bridging the gap between science and policy to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General 

Stewart Maginnis has worked in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation for 35 years. He has lived for extensive periods in Tanzania, Sudan, Ghana and Costa Rica, undertaking conservation fieldwork.  He led the development and promotion of “forest landscape restoration” (FLR) – one of the first “purpose-built” Nature-based Solutions - to which over 60 countries have committed more than 210 million hectares under the Bonn Challenge.  He and his team at IUCN have worked over the last 12 years on defining and promoting the concept of Nature-based Solutions and supporting its application to climate change, food & water security and disaster risk reduction.  He is currently the Deputy Director General of IUCN with responsibility for the IUCN programme of work. Stewart was educated at Oxford University and Queen’s University Belfast.

Musonda Mumba, General Secretary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Dr Mumba is the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands and is a Zambian-born environmentalist with over 25 years of global experience in environmental management and Sustainable Development. Previously, she worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where she served as the Director for the Rome Centre for Sustainable Development with a focus on climate change, sustainable development and nature protection and the agency lead for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, leading UNDP’s engagement as a Strategic Collaborating Partner in the Decade. Prior to joining UNDP, Dr. Mumba worked at the global headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) for 12 years in different functions, including as Head of the UNEP Terrestrial Ecosystems Programme for the agency. She is the founder of the Network of African Women Environmentalists (NAWE) and she has received numerous accolades for her work, including being named one the 100 most influential African women. On International Women’s Day 2022, she was honored by the Global Landscape Forum (GLF) as one of 16 women from around the world restoring the planet. Dr. Mumba holds a PhD in Wetland Hydrology and Conservation from University College London (UCL), a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Zambia and has published extensively in scientific journals and as a contributor to book chapters and in news media. She is an Honorary Senior Research Associate at UCL.

Diana Garlytska, Chair of the IUCN Youth Advisory Committee

Diana Garlytska is a passionate advocate for youth engagement in nature conservation. She has been an active member of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) since 2018 and currently serves as the IUCN CEC Regional Vice Chair for West Europe. With a strong background in the global environmental youth movement, Diana co-chaired the Steering Committee of CoalitionWILD from 2018 to 2022 and continues to serve on its Advisory Board. In 2021, she co-authored the IUCN Global Youth Summit (GYS) Outcome Statement, which she presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille. Diana has contributed to several high-profile events, including Stockholm+50, COY17, and COP27, focusing on youth-driven environmental policy. She is also the IUCN Youth Advisory Committee Chair, and IUCN CEC Co-Chair on Youth Engagement and Intergenerational Partnerships, were she continues to champion the IUCN Youth Strategy. Diana’s expertise lies in youth empowerment, storytelling, and academic engagement in conservation efforts.  

Mirela Kumbaro, Minister of Tourism and Environment of Albania 

Mrs Kumbaro was born in Tirana in 1966. In September 2021, she assumed the role of Minister of Tourism and Environment, marking a significant milestone as the first woman in Albania to hold this position. She holds the title of Associate Professor in the field of Linguistics and Intercultural Studies, after she had previously obtained the title Doctor of Science in the field of Translation Studies. Mrs Kumbaro has finished her post-graduate studies and obtained a master’s degree on Translation and Intercultural Communication in 1994, at E.S.I.T – Paris III, University of Sorbonne – Nouvelle, in Paris, France. In 2013 she was appointed minister of Culture, a position she held for over 5 years. Beyond her political endeavors, Mrs Mirela Kumbaro is university a professor, translator, publicist, and international expert. Her contributions extend to academic projects and university research programs conducted by international organizations such as the European Union, the International Francophone Organization, and the European Council. Throughout her extensive academic career and active engagement in civil society, she has made significant contributions to the realms of culture, education, and social advocacy. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to cultural diplomacy and Albanian-French cooperation, Mrs Kumbaro was honored in 2017 with the prestigious Order of "Honorary Officer in Art and Culture" by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. 

Atte Jääskeläinen, President of Sitra 

With over 25 years’ experience of leading change and innovation in media, education and policy, Atte Jääskeläinen is currently the President of Sitra. Prior to this he was the Director General of Higher Education and Research policy at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland (2020-23). Atte worked for 20 years as Senior Editor and CEO of three major Finnish news organizations. Atte initially completed a law degree at the University of Helsinki and he trained on the bench. He recently completed his dissertation and is now a Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration). He was Professor of Practice at LUT University (2018-20), a fellow at Oxford University’s Reuters Institute (2017-18) and a Senior Fellow at the LSE (2018-20).  

Penélope Gómez, Advisor on Sustainable Environmental Development of Malaga Municipality

Mrs Gómez Jiménez is a PhD MSc Civil Engineer specialized in maritime and hydraulics engineering, an area in which she obtained two research grants from the Ministry of Education during her university studies, Master in Infrastructure Management and Public Services and Doctor with International Mention in Transport Engineering. She has several publications in journals indexed in JCR and one Spin-Off related to the area of sustainable mobility. Consultant specialized in Transport Infrastructures and Hydraulics with more than 20 years of experience. She has combined her professional activity with lecturing at the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Malaga since 2007. Since 2017, she has been part of the City Territory Committee of the College of Engineers of Roads, Canals and Ports, coordinating the collaboration of this Collective in the International Congress by Greencities. Among other participations related to Smart Cities, her participation in the 8th Greencities Congress with “Smart Cities Challenges and Solutions” stands out, published in the October 2017 Monograph of the ROP (Public Works Magazine) “Building the City of 2030” and her participation in the organized conferences by the Spanish Chapter of the Club of Rome on "Scientific and technical disruption and its environmental and territorial effects in the medium and long term." She became Mayor's Advisor for public works projects of the General Coordination of Infrastructure and Projects in September 2021 and since the last municipal elections on 28 May 2023, she has been part of the government team as Councilor for environmental sustainability.

Jurgen Tack, Secretary General at European Landowners' Organization 

Mr Tack studied biology (marine ecology) at Brussels Free University where he also obtained his PhD in Sciences. Within the Framework of the Kenya Belgium Project in Marine Sciences (Coastal Farms Kenya) he developed a number of oyster farms along the Kenyan coast. In 2000 he joined the team of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform (Belgian Science Policy Office) where he was responsible for European and international science policy in the field of biodiversity and biodiversity related research. In 2007 he became the CEO of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (a research organization under the umbrella of the Flemish Authority). In 2015 he became Secretary-General of the National Science Foundation (Flanders). In 2016 he took the position of Scientific Director at the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO), CEO at Landelijk Vlaanderen (Flemish Landowners’ Organisation) and CEO of the Aanspreekpunt Privaat Beheer Natuur en Bos (an advisory organ for private landowners on the management of nature and forest). In 2023 he became Secretary-General of the European Landowners Organisation (ELO). He coordinates several EU projects on private land conservation. On behalf of ELO he chairs the European Commission’s Large Carnivore Platform and acts as expert for the EU Biodiversity Platform and the EU Expert Group on Cultural Heritage.

Jochen Gebauer, Director-General for Nature Conservation, Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Nature-Based Climate Action of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) 

Dr Gebauer has worked for a Hamburg-based law firm with a specialty in environmental law before joining the German Federal Ministry for the Environment in 2005. He has since then held various positions in the Federal Ministry and in the German Federal Chancellery as a counsellor on environmental and climate policy. In June 2024, he was appointed Director-General for Nature Conservation, Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Nature-Based Climate Action in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). Born on 2 April 1970 in Bonn, he is married, has one daughter and resides in Berlin.

Madhu Rao, Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 

Dr Rao is the Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), Senior Advisor of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore with over 25 years of experience with designing and supporting the implementation of conservation field programmes across Asia.

Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Natural Capital, DG Environment

Humberto Delgado Rosa is the Director for Biodiversity, DG Environment, European Commission, since 2015. Previously he was Director for Mainstreaming Adaptation and Low Carbon Technology in DG Climate Action from 2012 to 2015. He served as Secretary of State for the Environment of the Portuguese Government from 2005 to 2011. Between 1995 and 2002 he was the advisor for environmental matters to the Prime-Minister of Portugal. He holds a PhD in Evolutionary Biology. Born in Lisbon, 1960. 

Chris Mahon, IUCN NCUK Chief Executive, ICENCA Co-Chair

Chris Mahon is an ecologist and has been a participant in IUCN since 2007. During his 17 years with IUCN he has co-led the establishment of the IUCN Global Group for National and Regional Committee Development and the IUCN Interregional Committee for Europe, North and Central Asia (ICENCA) (which he Chairs and Co-Chairs, respectively), as well as the Working Group for National Committee Development in Europe, North and Central Asia. He is the contact point for IUCN Member The Sibthorp Trust and is the Chief Executive of the IUCN National Committee UK (and previously its Chair). He is also a Member of two IUCN Commissions, the World Commission on Protected Areas and the Commission on Education and Communication.  He has attended 3 IUCN World Conservation Congresses, 3 Regional Conservation Fora, 1 World Parks Congress, 1 Leaders Forum, and helped lead the first meeting of the IUCN ICENCA community, held in Armenia in 2023. He also has a seat on the managing groups for the IUCN 'Unite for Nature' magazine, the IUCN Contributions for Nature Platform and the RCF24ENCA.

Boris Erg, Director of the IUCN European Regional Office (EURO)

Boris Erg is Director of the IUCN European Regional Office (EURO), based in Bonn. With over 25 years of experience, Boris has dedicated his career to advancing nature policy and achieving conservation outcomes. His work spans grassroots initiatives to global collaborations, with a strong focus on the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems. As an advocate for nature's intrinsic value, Boris promotes fair and equitable natural resource governance to address pressing environmental and societal challenges. 

Oliver Avramoski, Director of the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO)

Dr Avramoski has been leading the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) since January 2024. With over three decades of experience in nature conservation, Oliver brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role, having previously worked at IUCN ECARO as Programme Coordinator for Protected Areas from 2015 to 2018. Prior to his current appointment, Oliver served as Senior Coordinator at the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT), where he played a key role in advancing conservation efforts in Albania and North Macedonia. His earlier career includes leading the Department for Nature Protection at Galičica National Park, where he was responsible for biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem management, aligning with IUCN’s best practices. Oliver holds a PhD and Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the Central European University, along with a Master’s in Biology and a degree in Bioengineering from the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje.