Aurélie Flore Koumba Pambo holds a PhD in plant biology, with a specialization in cellular and molecular physiology, as well as certifications in biosafety and plant variety protection. After completing postdoctoral research in France, she became a researcher at the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research of Gabon, and later served as Scientific Advisor to the National Agency for National Parks of Gabon.
A member of the National Committee on multilateral environmental agreements, she is an expert in international instruments such as the CBD, CITES, ABS, and CMS. In 2019, she became the first African national to be elected Chair of the CITES Plants Committee. Since 2021, she has held diplomatic responsibilities related to climate, environment, and sustainable development, and in 2023 she was appointed Co-Facilitator of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.

Professor Alfred NGOMANDA is a Gabonese ecologist and researcher, specialized in tropical forests, climate, and biodiversity. He holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences and has devoted his career to studying forest dynamics in the Congo Basin, carbon sequestration, and nature-based solutions.
Former Director of the Institute for Research in Tropical Ecology (IRET), he is currently the General Commissioner of the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CENAREST), the national institution that coordinates research institutes and guides Gabon’s scientific strategy.
He played a key role in the international certification of Gabon’s carbon credits, establishing the country as a global leader in carbon neutrality through the net absorption of about 100 million tons of CO₂ per year. His work has strengthened the scientific credibility of Gabon’s climate and forest policies.
Internationally recognized, he actively participates in major forums (UNFCCC COP, Kunming-Montreal GBF, Congo Basin Science Panels) and collaborates with numerous partners (NASA, JICA-JST, ITTO, CBSI). He is also strongly committed to training young researchers and developing new Master’s degrees and innovative research programs.

I am Pr. Yuji TAKENOSHITA, from Japan. Researcher at Okayama University of Science, Department of Zoology. I hold a Doctorate in Biological Sciences at the Graduate School of Sciences of Kyoto University, Japan and my field research was at Loango National Park, Gabon. I am the first Japanese researcher who visited Moukalaba Doudou National Park in 1999. Until Now, I continue to conduct my research on gorillas at Moukalaba.

Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet is an agronomist and social forester from rural Cameroon who specializes in women’s leadership with a PhD on “Gender relations, access to land, and women’s socioeconomic status in the rural littoral in Cameroon”. With more than 33 years of advocacy, Cécile extensive experience includes work that addresses gender’s intersection with land tenure, conservation, climate change, and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+).
She was recently named a Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action by the United Nations Environment Programme following three decades of advocacy for women’s land rights in Africa. Cameroon Ecology, an organization she co-founded in 2001, has restored over 800 hectares of degraded land and mangrove forest.
In 2009, she founded the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF), which encourages the representation of women’s interests in environmental policies across 20 African countries. Wangari Maathai Forests Champion 2022, Cécile was elected Climate Change Champion of the Central African Commission on Forests in 2012 and served as a member of the advisory board of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
In 2023 Cécile was the co-winner of The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity and named Ramsar 2024 Women Changemakers in the World of Wetlands. In March this year, Cécile was awarded the prestigious KEW International Medal by the UK Royal Society.
Cécile serves as a member of a good number of networks and professional societies at national, regional and global levels.

Bharati Pathak is a member of the Global Steering Committee of the Dedicated Grant Mechanism (DGM) for Nepal, Chairperson of the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), and focal point for FECOFUN’s Gender Policy and Advocacy Program. She holds a Master’s degree in Rural Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities. For decades, she has worked to advance women’s rights and community rights over natural resources, as well as conservation. Bharati has also served as chairperson of ASHMITA Nepal, a Nepali NGO dedicated to the rights and empowerment of rural women.

Carla Louise MOUSSET MOUMBOLOU is a Gabonese conservation biologist and biodiversity expert with more than ten years of experience in protecting wildlife and ecosystems in Central Africa. She currently serves as Scientific Coordinator and national focal point for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Nagoya Protocol at the National Agency for National Parks (ANPN), where she plays a key role in defining research priorities and supporting the implementation of international environmental agreements.

Fanie Rachel Minko Mi Ndong, born in 1978 in Libreville, Gabon, has devoted her career to rural development and innovation. After joining Dysolab at the University of Rouen Normandy in 2012, she co-founded the Association for the Development of Nyonié, representing villagers in negotiations over a resort project. As secretary-general of the Komo Agro-Pastoral Cooperative, she helped launch a lemongrass plantation that inspired the Higher Christian Institute of Agronomy and Rural Engineering (ISCA-IR). She later drove the creation of the Gabon Cosmetic Cluster and, in 2024, organised the First International Days of Cosmétopée, advancing sustainable growth in Gabon.