Canada

Gabrielle recently graduated with an MSc in Water Science, Policy, and Management from the University of Oxford. Her degree had a large focus on freshwater, with areas of study including drinking water accessibility, wastewater management, water quality, environmental policy, and water in healthcare. Her dissertation focused on freshwater quality and was an evaluation of freshwater pollution in England’s rivers, primarily focusing on the Rivers Thames and Cherwell. It also included an analysis of the environment policy within the UK that pertains to pathogen pollution.

Currently, as a researcher at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), she analyses Earth observation data for ecosystem monitoring, thus contributing to decision-making and governance processes. Candidate PhD at the University of Turin, where she investigates the use of remote sensing techniques to study the dynamics of Alpine vegetation in response to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. She is committed to linking scientific research to land management policies to promote conservation and sustainability.

Dr. Lopez-Maldonado is an Indigenous Mayan scholar from Mexico working on understanding complex systems undergoing global change but applying an indigenous perspective. She possesses experience on the social aspects of nature conservation and a robust knowledge in the defense of the ideas, knowledge, values, and forms of self-expression of Indigenous Peoples.

Mrs. Melody Lepine is Cree and Dene, a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN) from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. From a young age, she was motivated by traditional teachings in environmental stewardship to advance studies in environmental conservation sciences at the University of Alberta and Royal Road University. This balance of teachings in both traditional environmental knowledge and western science has become a key strength in Melody’s career.