International Desert Conservation Summit

Gana Wingard has over 20 years of field conservation experience working in arid ecosystems of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. She is the Conservation Curator-Mongolia at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and the leader of the Mongolia Conservation Initiative (MCI). MCI is a registered non-profit conservation organization in Mongolia, and is a team of ecologists, managers, community engagement experts, and conservation practitioners who contribute complementary expertise, and resources, to advance the conservation of biodiversity at Ikh Nart Nature Reserve.

Toby was born and raised in Western Kenya on the outskirts of Kisumu City. As a child, he never knew about ‘conservation’ as a career or way of life. Still, he was fascinated enough with wildlife to sneak out of school to visit a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Toby joined Ewaso Lions in 2016 as the Research Manager where he took the lead role in research programme management.  Currently, he is the Director of Operations and Impact.

Growing up in Zimbabwe, Dr. Greg spent holidays at the Natural History Museum. In 1989, he began researching painted dogs and engaged with ranchers who were shooting the dogs. In a feat never before achieved, he stopped the killing countrywide.

Resolute that science must drive conservation through fieldwork and with gender equality a high priority, he inspires and mentors tomorrow’s generation of conservationists.

He is highly regarded as a thoughtful scientist and dedicated conservationist.

A conservation and sustainability practitioner, Jayant works on innovative solutions in the domains of climate change, biodiversity, and freshwater ecosystems conservation. He is a founding member and joint director of the Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) with 28 years of experience of working with key stakeholders, such as local communities, private sector, and government institutions for biodiversity conservation in the Western Ghats of India. He has successfully used market-based mechanisms (e.g. ecolabelling, branding and positive incentives) for saving threatened ecosystems of the Western Ghats of India. He is a National Geographic Explorer, a recipient of the IUCN practitioner fellowship, and a final awardee of the Conservation Leadership Program. He holds a patent in process technology for wastewater recycling and has recently completed an Executive education program on Social Entrepreneurship at Stanford University, USA.

Archana is a conservation practitioner and founded the Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) for conservation on the ground in 1994. She is a fellow of LEAD and served as a member of the World Bank Subcommittee of Climate Investment Funds representing Asia and Pacific CSOs for over nine years. Specialized in conservation of sacred forests and community partnership for conservation, Archana has received accolades like the Whitley Associate Award and has worked for assessing the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mongolia. She has penned five books and won prestigious awards.

Luke was born and raised in Barstow, California. From an early age he had a fascination with reptiles, particularly with the desert tortoise. He has worked with numerous state and federal agencies as well as non-profit organizations to insure that the desert tortoise has a fighting chance at survival in California. Saving Slowpoke is the culmination of those years of experience and love for this animal.

Craig Reuben Spencer is the Executive Director of Transfrontier Africa (NPC) and Warden of Olifants West Nature Reserve. With an MSc in Primatology, Craig founded the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, employing 42 women from local communities. A former department head in Western Cape government, he initiated marine anti-poaching and poverty-relief programs. Since 2006, Craig has focused on ecological research, protected area management, and combating illegal wildlife trade, earning global recognition for his conservation efforts.

Even though Butch is Imvelo Safari Lodge’s managing director, he still spends as much time as he can in the bush. Butch worked for National Parks and the Forestry Commission. He soon realized that local peoples’ support was critical to conservation and developed programs to simultaneously engage people and benefit the natural ecosystems. He now develops these initiatives through tourism. Butch’s lifelong passion for Hwange National Park— its wildlife and communities — formed the foundation of what Imvelo Safari Lodges is today.

Mr. Jonathan Kwiyega is Co-founder and Executive Director of the grassroots Non-Profit and Non-Government Organization, WASIMA, a Swahili acronym for People, Lions, and Environment. Jonathan is a Tanzanian National Geographic Explorer and a member of the African Conservation Leaders Network (ACLN). For over 10 years, Mr. Kwiyega has led and mentored young conservationists, and committed to promoting community engagement in lion conservation in the most remote landscape least saved by conservation NGOs, of western Tanzania.

Dr. David Kimiti is Grevy’s Zebra Trust’s Director of Research and Impact. David is broadly experienced in Conservation science and practice, having worked with various Research and Conservation institutions in Kenya and the US. David obtained his PhD in Range Science from New Mexico State University specializing in Restoration Ecology, before returning to conservation research and monitoring in Northern Kenya. In his current position at GZT David provides oversight on ecological and institutional Impact assessment.

Tsakane, born and raised in Bushbuckridge, matriculated from Mkhweynataba High School in 2013 and completed her Public Management course in 2017. She joined the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit in 2019, later earning leadership training at Southern African Wildlife College. In 2023, she became Sergeant of the Crime Prevention Unit and Ambassador for the Black Mambas. A new mother in 2024, Tsakane balances her roles as a leader, educator, and Assistant Manager of the Bush Babies Environmental Education Program.

Art Basulto was born in East Los Angeles into a rough upbringing. Gang violence, poverty, and discrimination were all commonplace in his formative years, and it led him to finding escape for himself and his many siblings in the Los Angeles River looking for frogs and other critters. It wasn’t until later in his adulthood that Art found a new life in the Mojave desert and started anew, learning how to protect his new home and his new love the desert tortoise. Art is now a fixture in desert conservation.