Wetlands

Ayan is a hydrologist with particular interest in wetlands, mainly in South America (especially the Amazon region) and in Africa. He researches within the context of human impacts on water resources. Ayan holds a PhD degree from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in Water Resources Engineering, and is Lead of a research team on Geospatial Analysis of the Amazonian Environment and Territoryat at the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development and at UFRGS. He also leads the conexoesamazonicas.org initiative for science communication about the Amazon River basin.

Dr. Christopher Olayinka Ilori is an Earth Observation Specialist with over 10 years of experience transforming satellite data into actionable insights for environmental sustainability, marine conservation, and coastal resilience. He currently serves as a Senior Remote Sensing Scientist at TCarta, USA, where he leads projects on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB), applying radiative transfer modeling and machine learning to map shallow-water environments critical to national security, navigation, and ecosystem protection.

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.

I am Mr Benjamin M. Kitambo, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I hold a BSc degree in Geology, majoring in Hydrogeology and Geotechnical from the University of Lubumbashi, DRC, 2014. I further pursued my Master studies from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where I obtained an MSc degree in Integrated Water Resources Management, Majoring in Water Resources Management, year 2017.

Padmi Ranasinghe is a doctoral student in Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of Texas (UT) at Arlington, United States of America (USA), focusing on water management and climate change impacts in urban settings. She completed her Master of Science (MSc) degree in Environmental Science with academic excellence at the City University of New York-College of Staten Island and her second master’s degree in Regional Development and Planning at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Deanesh Ramsewak is an Assistant Professor in Practice at the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Centre for Maritime and Ocean Studies (CMOS). His expertise lies in the application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for wetland and coastal ecosystem mapping.

Ko Pirongia te Maunga (The Mountain is Pirongia)
Ko Kāwhia te Moana (The Ocean is Kāwhia)
Ko Waipā te Awa (The River is Waipā)
Ko Pūrekireki, Hiiona me Maketū ngā Marae (The Meeting Houses are Pūrekireki, Hiiona and Maketū)
Ko Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Maniapoto me Waikato ngā Iwi (The tribes are of Mahuta, Maniapoto and Waikato)
Ko Tainui te Waka (The Voyaging Canoe is Tainui)
Ko Cadence Kaumoana tōku ingoa (My name is Cadence Kaumoana)

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.