Prof. Dr. Stefan Hotes, Laboratory of Applied Landscape Ecology, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan

Stefan Hotes studies how ecosystems and people interact, focusing on wetlands, agricultural areas and forests. The purpose of the research is to find sustainable development pathways for cultural landscapes that take the resilience of social-ecological systems into account.

Prof. Dr. Hotes heads the Laboratory of Applied Landscape Ecology at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan

Prof. Dr. Tomohiro Ichinose, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan

Tomohiro Ichinose conducts research on ecological network planning methods in cities, landscape changes in suburban and rural areas, depopulation and ageing problem in remote areas of Japan.

He is professor at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Fujisawa, Japan.

Prof. Dr. Josef Settele, Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany

Josef Settele focuses on the interface of land use, climate and biological diversity. He was co-chair of the Global Assessment of IPBES, contributed to the IPBES Asia-Pacific and Pollination Assessments, and he was Coordinating Lead Author of the 5th Assessment Report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC.

Prof. Dr. Settele heads the Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems at the UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Halle/Germany, and is professor of ecology at the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg.

Dr. Flore Lafaye de Micheaux, IUCN Secretariat, Switzerland

Flore Lafaye de Micheaux has +20 year experience in sustainable development policies, focusing on water and flood management as well as ecosystem restoration. She holds a PhD in Political Ecology (University of Lausanne) and has worked in Ethiopia, France and India.

Dr. Lafaye de Micheaux is IPBES Programme Officer at the IUCN Secretariat in Switzerland where she is in charge of strengthening science-policy interfaces for biodiversity through the IUCN-IPBES strategic partnership. She has played a key role in the formalization of the open-ended network of IPBES Stakeholders (ONet).

Prof. Dr. Marie Stenseke, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Marie Stenseke focuses on biodiversity, nature conservation and landscape management from a social science perspective. Marie is also co-chair of the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel of IPBES. She led the initiative to create the Social Sciences and Humanities Network within the open-ended network of IPBES Stakeholders (ONet).

Marie is a full professor in human geography and deputy dean at the School of business, economics and law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Ms. Yesenia Hernández, NGO “Rueda de Medicina”

Yesenia Hernández works on biocultural protocols and territory governance for indigenous peoples and local communities. Her presentation focuses on biocultural landscapes and biocultural protocols as a tool for understanding and protecting local knowledge about landscape management and particular species.

Dr. Hernández is affiliated with the NGO “Rueda de Medicina” as well as several UN organizations including IPBES, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and the Women and Biodiversity Caucus of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Dr. Maiko Nishi, International Satoyama Initiative, United Nations University Institute for the Advances Study of Sustainability

Maiko Nishi studies social-ecological system governance, local and regional planning and agricultural land policy. In particular, her interest lies in multi-level governance, landscape approaches, land tenure and use, and subjectivities of institutional actors in governing natural resources.

Dr. Nishi works as a research fellow for the International Satoyama Initiative at United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS).

Prof. Dr. Brice Sinsin, Laboratory of Applied Ecology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin

Brice Sinsin studies the link between Protected Areas (PA) gazettment issues and local communities who claim rights as key actors in the process of management of PA established in their localities, and so far their ownership as first beneficiaries of the related job opportunities even if PAs are of national concern.

Prof. Dr. Sinsin is the Director of the Laboratory of Applied Ecology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin.

Prof. Dr. Damasa Macandog, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Damasa Macandog conducts research on land use change and its impacts on biodiversity and hydrologic balance, biodiversity information systems, ecological carrying capacity of freshwater lakes, mangrove ecosystem services in coastal hazard mitigation and marine plastic litter.

Damasa is professor of Plant Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños.