Diogo Veríssimo is a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford where he focuses on the design and evaluation of behaviour change interventions to conserve biodiversity. He has for 20 years advanced the use of marketing theory and concepts to drive forward the conservation of nature, namely the use of flagship species to promote conservation.

Dr. Ada's research focuses on using quantitative and qualitative analytical tools to understand the social, economic, and cultural factors driving the unsustainable use of wildlife, particularly birds, in South America. 

Dr. Aditi Mankad is a Principal Research Scientist with Australia's national science agency, based in Brisbane, Australia. As a psychological scientist, her research primarily focuses on understanding attitudes, behaviour, and risk perception in agricultural innovation, environmental management, biosecurity, and biotechnology. Her multidisciplinary approach combines psychological insights with biophysical sciences to address critical biosecurity challenges.

Prof Alexandra Zimmermann is the founding Chair of the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group, Associate Professor at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Centre for Conservation Diplomacy. For over past 25 years she has worked on human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in a vast range of social, political and economic contexts around the globe. She specialises in conflict analysis, community engagement, stakeholder dialogue, dispute negotiation and social research, and advises a range of intergovernmental organisations and governments on HWC matters.

Dulce Espelosin is an expert in social behaviour norms, focusing on the design of change strategies in rural environments focused on conservation and in urban environments for organizational norms.

Mr. Cadiz is a community development working applying behavior-centered design to help coastal communities co-design and implement behavior change programs to address social, ecological and institutional issues in near-shore fisheries; he is based in Iloilo province, Philippines.

Dr Shreedhar is a behavioural scientist focusing on promoting pro-environmental and pro-ecological motivation and behaviours. She is at the London School of Economics and Political Science and based in the Dept. of Psychological and Behavioural Sciences.

Dr Judy Mann is passionate about the environment, and supporting people to care for nature. Through her over 30-year career she has combined these two passions through education and training, management, leadership and research. She focuses on the effectiveness of conservation education and communication, behaviour change and the social aspects of recreational fisheries and Marine Protected Areas. She holds a Master’s Degree in Ichthyology, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and PhD in Culture and Environmental Learning from the University of Queensland in Australia. At the South African Association for Marine Biological Research she was Director of Education, uShaka Sea World Director, Conservation Strategist and the first woman Chief Executive Officer. She now works for the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and also undertakes consultancy projects around Africa. She is President of the International Zoo Educators Association (IZE) and serves on the Council of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), where she Chairs the Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Committee.

Dr Kira Mileham is a behaviour change practitioner focused on the social psychology of partnerships across the species conservation community. Dr Mileham works as the global Director of Strategic Partnerships for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC). In this role, Dr Mileham is globally responsible for strengthening the collaborative species conservation efforts of IUCN SSC's 9,000+ scientific experts by growing partnership movements with Zoos, Aquariums, Botanic Gardens, NGOs, Corporate and community partners and Government Agencies. Kira holds degrees in conservation ecology, public relations and journalism, and a PhD in human behaviour change and impact evaluation from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Kira is also an adviser on the Global Council of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and in 2022 was voted one of the top ten influencers in the global zoo and aquarium community.

Dr Laura Perry is a consultant at Castlerock Conservation, with ten years of experience working on the Human Dimensions of wildlife. She provides support to programmes looking to more successfully incorporate social science into their conservation activities, focussing on the application of behaviour change tools and techniques to improve conservation outcomes. Alongside behaviour change, Laura also focusses heavily on strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. Laura works with partners around the world, from Florida to Japan, but has particular expertise in sub-Saharan Africa, having lived in the region for eight years. In addition to her core work, Laura also works as a handling editor for a number of journals, and is a research associate at Indiana University. 

Liliana Vanegas is a passionate social marketing practitioner, deeply committed to driving behavior change in African and Latin American regions. Leveraging her expertise, she spearheads initiatives focused on sustainability, conservation, and public health. Her efforts target citizens in urban cities and rural communities, fostering lasting positive change that contributes to both human well-being and environmental integrity.

Martha Stokes (UNEP), from Scotland, is an interdisciplinary behaviour change practitioner with a background in environment and sustainability. Now based in Nairobi, she works at the science-to-policy interface on UNEP’s flagship Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report. She currently leads the Behavioural, Social and Cultural Task Group for the upcoming 7th edition of UNEP’s GEO (GEO-7), due December 2025, as part of the GEO Secretariat.

​Martha is academically trained in both natural sciences (University of Cambridge) and social sciences (MSc, University of Edinburgh), with a focus on behavioural change and environmental justice. She is passionate about impact-driven projects, and placing people at the centre of their design. Outside of work, she can be found outdoors, whether scuba diving the ocean or camping up a mountain.

Matthew Selinske is a Senior Social Scientist at Mosaic Insights, a natural resources consultancy in Australia.

Matthew studies a range of topics including motivations to participate in conservation behaviours and prioritising conservation behaviour change.

He is the past President of the Society for Conservation Biology's Social Science Working Group a Board Member of the Society for Conservation Biology and an Adjunct Research Fellow at RMIT.

Dr. Sarah Thomas is a social scientist and Head of Conservation Advocacy and Engagement at Auckland Zoo, Aotearoa New Zealand. For 20+ years, she has advanced how zoos, aquariums, and other conservation NGOs make meaningful and impactful contributions to behavioural and social changes in conservation landscapes. Sarah holds qualifications in BSc(Hons) Zoology, PGCE Education, PGC Leading Change for Good and has a PhD focusing on exploring the social dimensions of biodiversity conservation. Sarah authored Social Change for Conservation – The World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Education Strategy and is President-Elect for IZE (International Zoo Educators Association). 

Sean Southey has over 30 years of experience in the international development and communications field. With a multi-sectoral background, Sean started his career with 5 years in the Canadian Ministry of Environment, followed by 12 years working with the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) environment team. His NGO experience was enriched through work with ICLEI (Secretary General), Rare (Vice-President) and 10 years as President of the NGO PCI Media. Over the past decade he has led the development of over 80 campaigns world-wide, won over 100 awards for impactful campaigns, and reached literally billions of people with life and planet saving information. Sean has extensive experience speaking around the world on the importance of communications and regularly runs creative design, capacity building and strategy workshops. In 2016, Sean was elected as Chair for the International Union for the Conservation on Nature’s (IUCN) Commission on Education and Communication (CEC). In this role, he has worked tirelessly to enhance IUCN’s use of creative communications for social change. Sean is a dual Canadian and South African citizen and has lived, worked and travelled in over 100 countries. He holds a MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of British Columbia.

Dr Kubo focuses on the economics and behaviour change concerning biodiversity conservation and wildlife and tourism management. He has expertise in the economic valuation of ecosystem services and behaviour change to address sustainability challenges, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, environmental degradation and resource scarcity. He is also interested in the incorporation of broad scientific knowledge into economic analysis and interdisciplinary approaches in conservation.

B.Sc. in Biology and Geology, with a specialization in Environmental Education, Edgar has 15 years of experience at Zoomarine - Portugal, where he has developed expertise across multiple disciplines including conservation communication, animal welfare, and public engagement. 

As Programme Officer supports the Task Force communication efforts, coordinates social media strategies, and facilitates collaboration between members and partner organizations. He also directly supports the development of strategic projects and initiatives. 

Cassidy is a graduate student at The University of Tampa specializing in Social & Emerging Media. She is passionate about sustainable tourism and conservation marketing. As an associate student at the University of Oxford, she collaborates with researchers and business leaders in the city to explore concepts of conservation marketing and sustainable tourism. She is currently working on building her own business to create engaging content that inspires every traveller to explore more sustainably.