UN Decade Science Task Force

Senior Fellow and Research Professor, WRI and Univ. Sunshine Coast

The urgency of restoring ecosystems does not justify reactive short-term fixes that fail to produce environmentally and socially beneficial long-term outcomes.

Robin Chazdon is Professor Emerita in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Connecticut (1988-2016) and part-time Research Professor with the Forest Research Institute at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Her long-term and ongoing collaborative research focuses on natural regeneration of forests, forest and landscape restoration, and ecosystem services provided by forests. Since 2016, Dr. Chazdon works as a consultant in the global conservation and restoration arena. She is an active member of the FAO Task Force on Best Practices for the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, and leads the development and implementation of the Capacity, Knowledge and Learning Action Plan for the UN Decade. Dr. Chazdon is a Senior Fellow with the World Resources Institute Global Restoration Initiative, where she serves as director of the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance. Dr. Chazdon was recently selected as an Honorary Member of the British Ecological Society, 2023, and as an Honorary Fellow of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation in 2020. In addition to her sole-authored book Second Growth, she has co-edited two books and published over 250 peer reviewed papers and book chapters. She was a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in the Cross Field category for the past four years.  

See Robin’s publications here. 

Associate Professor, Oregon State University

With knowledge and science, the more you share the more you have.

René Zamora Cristales is Guatemalan, Associate Professor in Forest Operations and Management in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.  He is the former Director of Initiative 20x20 secretariat and Restoration Policy for the Global Restoration at the World Resources Institute (WRI). Rene has a Doctoral degree (PhD.) in Forest Engineering and Economics from Oregon State University, USA.  In 2019 Rene received the recognition of “Outstanding Doctoral Research Award” from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations IUFRO. Please see some of Rene´s publications in here. 

Researcher, International Rice Research Institute

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed. ― Mahatma Gandhi

Dr. Pradeep K. Dubey is an environmental scientist with over 10 years of interdisciplinary experience in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and community-led restoration. He holds an MSc and PhD in Environmental Science from Banaras Hindu University, India. Currently at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) – South Asia Regional Centre, he previously served as a Program Manager at WRI India. Dr. Dubey is a Science Task Force Member of the UN-DER (2021-2030), UN-IPBES Fellow (Nexus Assessment) and Contributing Author (Business & Biodiversity Assessment). A member of three IUCN Commissions (CEM, CEC, CEESP), FAO-Global Forum on Food Security, GLP, APN etc. he has authored 40+ publications. His expertise spans Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK), climate resilience, and nature-based solutions, with a strong commitment to bridging science, policy, and community action for sustainable landscape restoration. See some of Pradeep’s work in here. 

Director, Oceanwise; Lead IUCN CEM Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Specialist Group

Key to widespread restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems will be understanding the ecological and socio-economic benefits that can be gained.

Ben is a marine biologist specialized in management, conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems. He has more than 10 years of experienced in the design and implementation of Nature based Solutions under the IUCN Global Framework. See some of Ben´s publications in here. 

Senior Fishery Resources Officer, FAO

May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears - Nelson Mandela

Dr Kim Friedman is an Australian national working as a Senior Fisheries Resources Officer for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy. His main responsibilities include leadership of the Divisions Resilience Team, working on fisheries issues in relation to biodiversity conservation, but also as a Divisional focal point for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), work related to multilateral environmental agreements like CBD, CITES and delivery of FAO’s FishFinder program. Kim holds a Bachelor of science (Hons) in Marine Biology, a master’s degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries, and was awarded a Doctorate from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. Kim has experience salmon farming in Scotland, as well as working with New South Wales and Western Australian Fisheries Departments in Australia. Kim has led research programs for ICLARM (now WorldFish) in the western Pacific (Solomon Islands and Fiji),  worked for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in New Caledonia surveying and assessing subsistence, artisanal and commercial coastal and inshore fisheries across 17 Pacific Island countries before leading the Western Australian Marine Science Program responsible for understanding the status of natural and social assets across its tropical and temperate marine parks. Kim is an experienced team and inter-disciplinary manager and scientist, with a demonstrated history of working in international affairs and at a national level. Skilled in fisheries and sustainable development, environment and biodiversity issues, Kim has a strong interest in developing and delivering cross-sectoral agreements and on ground actions for fisheries and conservation, and in science communication more generally.

See Kim’s publications here. 

Principal Scientist, Alliance Biodiversity International, CIAT, CGIAR

Biodiversity both at the species and genetic level is the foundation of climate and livelihood resilient restoration.

Dr. Chris Kettle brings over 25 years of global leadership in Ecosystem restoration, combining cutting-edge science with real-world application across European temperate systems and tropical Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As a globally recognized tropical forest ecologist and conservation geneticist with more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, he is a champion of biodiversity-driven solutions for climate resilience, food security, and sustainable development. He leads multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary programs within the CGIAR system, co-develops innovation platforms like MyFarmTrees for smallholder restoration, and co-founded initiatives such as the Centre for Fruitful Lands to boost fruit tree diversity and nutrition in India. Chris brings a rare blend of deep scientific expertise, practical restoration tools, and unwavering commitment to nature-positive transformation into ecosystem restoration globally. See some of Chris' work here. 

Director at Mansourian.org; External Scientific Collaborator at University of Lausanne; Associate Researcher at University of Geneva; Chair Restoration Task Force IUCN-WCPA

Stephanie Mansourian has been an environmental consultant for 20 years and is also an associate researcher with Geneva University and an external scientific collaborator with Lausanne University (both in Switzerland). Her work in the last 25 years has spanned several environmental topics, including forest restoration, REDD+, environmental governance, protected areas, sustainability partnerships, air pollution, among others. She was at the forefront of the development of forest landscape restoration (FLR) at the time when she was managing WWF’s related programme. Since then and based on her observations of FLR programmes and projects, she carried out her PhD specifically on governance challenges related to FLR, an issue that is gaining increasing recognition in broader ecosystem restoration. In her work, she takes an integrated approach and seeks to span disciplines wherever possible. As a consultant her clients include NGOs, environmental conventions, UN agencies and foundations.  She is a board member of the Fondation Audemars Watkins and chairs the Restoration Task Force within the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

See some of Stephanie´s work here. 

Chair & Professor, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana

Stay together, learn the flowers, go light. Gary Snyder from his poem, For the Children

Cara is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at University of Montana’s Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Director of the College’s Restoration Ecology Laboratory, Lead of IUCN CEM’s Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group, and a past Chair of the Society for Ecological Restoration. Her research program generates knowledge about ecological processes associated with ecosystem degradation and repair and innovates that knowledge into prescriptions for restorative interventions. Cara has co-authored principles and standards for nature-based solutions, ecological restoration and rewilding, and from 2020 to present, she has been part of the leadership team developing principles and standards for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.  Cara received the Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Research Award from the US Forest Service, the John Rieger Award for contributions to the Society for Ecological Restoration, and two Fulbright Awards from the US State Department.

See Cara’s publications here. 

Planning Officer, GIZ

Biologist (PhD) with over 25 years of professional experience in international development cooperation, currently serving as Planning Officer for Biodiversity at GIZ in Germany. Extensive expertise in the design and implementation of global and regional programs in biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, forest landscape restoration, and natural resource management. Proven leadership in complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across Africa and Germany, with a strong focus on policy advisory, project design, capacity building, and digital knowledge management. Broad experience in strategic coordination with international partners, governments, and donor institutions, including the African Union, BMZ, BMUV, and the EU. She holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Hamburg, with field research in Côte d'Ivoire focusing on mammal population dynamics and the role of bushmeat in food security. She completed post-graduate training in development policy at the Humboldt University Berlin (SLE), with an emphasis on rural development, program management, and participatory methods. Additional qualifications include consulting and organizational development at denkmodell Berlin, covering strategy, change management, agile collaboration, and leadership culture. 

Urban Biodiversity Hub (also Lead of Urban Ecosystems SWG at IUCN CEM)

Global restoration is a political choice as much as an ecological necessity; it calls us to reimagine justice, resilience, and belonging in every landscape.

Jennifer Rae Pierce is a political ecologist, urban planner, and urban biodiversity policy specialist with 18 years of experience with cities and nature. She is the co-founder of Urban Biodiversity Hub (UBHub) which hosts the largest global database on urban biodiversity activities, publishes research on local practices and global targets for biodiversity, and supports related indicator tracking and development for local governments. She has prepared local government tools and reports including a biodiversity and ecosystem services mainstreaming toolkit for ICLEI, the Urban Nature Indexes and Urban NbS Guidelines for IUCN, and the Science-Based Targets for Cities for Nature. She also serves as a consultant on urban biodiversity for the World Bank. Her published research includes global comparative work across hundreds of cities as well as more in-depth explorations of cities in India, Japan, Singapore, Israel, Canada, the USA, Brazil, and South Africa. She holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Cornell University and in environmental science and policy from Central European University. She is now earning her PhD from UBC on urban biodiversity worldviews and justice.

See some of Jennifer´s publications here. 

Independent Expert

Restoration is not just about healing ecosystems—it is where science meets cultural needs, social responsibility, economic expectations and policy making, ensuring human well-being and driving sustainability by helping us rebuild nature’s balance.

Internationalist from Jorge Tadeo Lozano University (Colombia), Ana Maria has 28 years of expertise in international environmental law, international negotiation on biodiversity, and science-policy interface, with several publications about policy and legislation on biodiversity. She has experience as researcher in the Policy and Legislation Program of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute, being the head of the Office of International Affairs of the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development of Colombia, executive Director of NaturaCert Foundation, and the head of the international affairs, policy and cooperation Office at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute. She also served as a professor at Rosario University and Javeriana University, and a consultant for the Interamerican Development Bank CSD/CCS. Ana Maria has more than two decades of experience in the framework of multilateral environmental, regional, and binational agreements. She acted as the Colombian governmental negotiator to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES. She was the representative of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) to different bureau of environmental treaties such as the United Nations Convention against Desertification and Drought (UNCCD), the SPAW protocol of the Cartagena Convention and IPBES. She also served as the chair of IPBES from May 2019 to September 2023 and was a member of the advisory board of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration from 2021 to 2023. She was awarded as environmental personality of the year by El Espectador Newspaper in 2019, by the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in 2020, and by Ecovidrio Awards in 2022. 

Lead Economist, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

Priya Shyamsundar is a Lead Economist at The Nature Conservancy. With extensive experience on the economics of environment and development, Priya’s research covers a range of local to global urban and rural environmental problems. At TNC, she leads a Global Science program of economists and quantitative social scientists who integrate human well-being considerations into decision-making processes, assessing trade-offs and distributive outcomes, and analysing governance, economic, social and behavioural drivers to ensure sustainable and equitable conservation. Priya has served on advisory panels for the Government of India, the World Bank, IGBP and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada. Previously, Priya was founder director of SANDEE, a research network focused on solutions to shared environment-development challenges across seven countries in South Asia, and also consulted extensively for the World Bank. As a member of IUFRO’s Expert Panel on Forests and Poverty, she was involved in an IPCC-type global assessment of forests and poverty and serves as a member of the Science Taskforce supporting the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. See some of Priya´s work here.