Join the Wetland Ecosystems Specialist Group for their first CEM Dialogue!
Freshwater Wetland Ecosystems: Global Conservation and Assessment
Moderators
Dr Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães and Dr Yasmin Quintana
Duration
60–75 minutes
Wetlands are among the world's most valuable ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, water security, livelihoods, climate regulation, and cultural values. Yet they continue to decline at alarming rates due to habitat modification, water extraction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
We have assembled a distinguished panel of international experts to discuss advances and challenges in freshwater wetland conservation, assessment methodologies, emerging technologies, and the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in wetland stewardship.
August 12 at 10:00 am (Mexico City), 5:00 pm (London)
Panelists:
- M.Sc. Gillian Davies, Senior Ecologist, BCS Group, Society of Wetland Scientists and a specialist in wetland policy and rights-based conservation
- Dr Marcos Valderrabano, IUCN Secretariat and the Red List of Ecosystems Programme
- Dr Marinus Otte, Editor-in-Chief of Wetlands and expert on wetland conservation
Dr Luis Zambrano, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), internationally recognized freshwater ecologist
Find more information about the panelists below:
Gillian Davies
Gillian Davies is a Senior Ecologist at BSC Group, Inc., where her work focuses on climate change and wetlands, ecological restoration, Nature-based Solutions, and the operationalisation of Rights of Wetlands. She is a Visiting Scholar at the Tufts University Global Development & Environment Institute and serves as Chair of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Rights of Wetlands Section. She is also a member of the INTECOL Wetland Working Group and represents the SWS Professional Certification Program on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Scientific & Technical Review Panel. A former President of both SWS and the SWS Professional Certification Program, she holds a Master of Environmental Studies from the Yale School of the Environment and a bachelor’s degree from Williams College. She is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist and Registered Soil Scientist.
Marinus L. Otte
Marinus L. Otte is Professor at North Dakota State University (NDSU), USA, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal WETLANDS. He earned his MSc and PhD from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and held academic positions in South Carolina and Ireland before joining NDSU in 2006. With four decades of experience in wetland science, he has collaborated on research projects across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including work in China, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, and South Africa. Since becoming Editor-in-Chief in 2012, he has helped shape scientific communication in the field. He has authored numerous publications and books, including Wetlands of Ireland, Wetlands for Remediation in the Tropics, and The World Atlas of Freshwater Macrophytes, and regularly conducts workshops on scientific publishing for graduate students and early-career researchers worldwide.
Luis Zambrano
Luis Zambrano is a biologist and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he has worked since 2000. He holds a PhD in Ecology from UNAM and completed postdoctoral studies with the Aquatic Ecology and Water Management Group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His research focuses on aquatic ecology, urban ecology, and ecological restoration, with projects in Mexico City, Xochimilco, Pátzcuaro, Montebello, and Sian Ka’an. An active educator and mentor, he has supervised more than 60 graduate and postgraduate theses and served as Executive Secretary of the Reserva Ecológica del Pedregal de San Ángel (REPSA). He has produced an extensive body of scientific and outreach publications and is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, and the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. He is recognised as a Level III member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers.
Marcos Valderrábano - IUCN
Marcos Valderrábano is Programme Manager of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, based at IUCN headquarters in Switzerland. He leads and supports the global implementation of the programme, working closely with IUCN Members, Commissions, partners, and donors to advance ecosystem risk assessment, capacity development, and conservation action. Over the past 15 years, he has worked across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Latin America, contributing to ecosystem management and conservation through international cooperation, programme development, conservation practice, and environmental policy. His experience bridges science, policy, and implementation, helping strengthen efforts to assess, manage, and conserve ecosystems worldwide.
Yasmín Quintana – CEM/IUCN, SSC/IUCN
Dr Yasmín Quintana is a biologist and conservation scientist specialising in freshwater ecosystems. She earned her PhD from Texas A&M University and has conducted research on biodiversity, fisheries, and ecosystem dynamics throughout tropical regions, including Central America, Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, Florida, and Texas. She currently manages the Centre for Species Survival: Freshwater at Shedd Aquarium, where she leads initiatives focused on threatened species conservation, partnership development, and capacity building; and is Co-Lead of the IUCN-CEM Wetland Ecosystems Specialist Group. She actively supports IUCN SSC Specialist Groups, delivers conservation training workshops, and advises on freshwater biodiversity initiatives. Previously, she lectured at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala and served as a teaching assistant at institutions in Florida and Texas. Her leadership has been recognised through several honours, including Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Latino Leader and Guatemala’s Illustrious Guatemalans award in 2023.
Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães – CEM/IUCN
Dr Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães is a Research Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Adjunct Senior Researcher at the University of Tasmania, Adjunct Professor at North Dakota State University, Deputy Chair of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management and Lead of the IUCN-CEM Wetland Ecosystems Specialist Group. She served as President of the International Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS). With nearly 20 years of experience in wetland research and education, her work focuses on aquatic plant ecology, landscape genetics, species distribution, and phytoremediation. Her research and teaching activities span the Americas and Oceania, including the Amazon, Southern Brazil Highlands, Central Mexico Highlands, Tasmania, and the United States. She serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals and book series and recently founded the Colección Humedales book series. Among her publications are the World Atlas of Freshwater Macrophytes, Wetlands for Remediation in the Tropics, and Tasmania Aquatic Plants and Mining. Her contributions have been recognised through numerous distinctions, including the Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award, SWS International Fellow, and the José Mariano Mociño Medal.