Plenary Speakers
Nathalie Pettorelli
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London
Professor Nathalie Pettorelli is a conservation biologist at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London. Her expertise includes Nature-based solutions, Biodiversity monitoring, Satellite remote sensing, Rewilding and Climate change ecology. Nathalie has served on various selection panels (including NERC, HCERES, RCN, PRC, Horizons), and recently chaired the evaluation committee of the 2023 Biodiversa+ call on biodiversity monitoring. She is the Editor in Chief of Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, a high impact peer reviewed journal publishing multidisciplinary research from the interface between remote sensing science and ecology and conservation.
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Helen Kopnina
Northumbria University
Dr. Helen Kopnina (Northumbria University) researches environmental education, particularly in ecopedagogy and ecoliteracy, and links biodiversity to business. She is the author of over two hundred peer-reviewed articles and (co)author and (co)editor of seventeen books on interrelated topics of environmental sustainability, circular economy, biological conservation, environmental ethics and animal ethics, and environmental education. Helen challenges traditional boundaries through an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to academic discourse, education, and corporate sustainability strategies.
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Berta Martin-Lopez
Leuphana University Lüneburg, Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
Berta Martín-López is Professor of International Sustainable Development and Planning in the Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI) at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Her research is collaborative, inter- and transdisciplinary, aiming to understand the role of values, knowledge, and institutions in supporting transformation pathways to sustainability. Berta puts special emphasis on “care-full” research processes that foster reciprocity, reflexivity, and respect for all persons involved in the research process, including praxis partners, early career scholars and minorities. Berta Martín-López is one of the most cited researchers worldwide (“Highly Cited Researchers”) and elected member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences.
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Opening Ceremony Speakers
Alessandra Zampieri
Director of Sustainable Resources, European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Alessandra serves as Director for Sustainable Resources at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). In this role she steers the scientific and knowledge‑service function of the Commission, ensuring that clean deal EU policies are underpinned by independent, evidence‑based research throughout the entire policy cycle. By linking sustainable resource management to economic performance, she demonstrates how the transition to a cleaner economy can reinforce the EU’s long‑term competitiveness on a global stage, as well as its strategic autonomy, by ensuring industrial resilience, digital transformation and climate neutrality across the Union.
Eric Mamer
Director-General of DG Environment
Eric Mamer was appointed Director-General for Environment on 1 July 2025. With over 30 years at the European Commission, his previous roles include Chief Spokesperson for the European Commission from 2019 to 2024, Director for Competitiveness at the Directorate-General for the Internal Market, and Deputy-Head of Cabinet for Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger. Mr Mamer has extensive experience on EU policies and their implementation.
Frans Timmermans
Dr. h.c. Frans Timmermans was executive Vice-President of the European Commission (2019 -2023) and responsible for the European Green Deal. The Green Deal aims to cut emissions in Europe by at least 50% by 2030, rising towards 55%, while legally binding the 2050 neutrality goal through the European Climate Law. It pushes forward a clean transition that protects people and planet, is economically sound and socially fair. Until recently, Frans Timmermans was party leader of the Dutch GreenLeft/Labour party. Earlier he was the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for European Affairs. He holds several honorary doctorates from various European universities.
Geert de Snoo
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University & Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Geert de Snoo is professor of Conservation Biology at Leiden University and Director of Research Policy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. His main research focus is on nature conservation in human-dominated landscapes and the impact of pesticides on biodiversity. He was Director of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Dean of the Faculty of Science of Leiden University and member of the Dutch Council on Animal Affairs. He is also member of the Policy Committee of the European Region of the Society for Conservation Biology.
Sanne Kruid
Team Lead International Biodiversity – Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature
Sanne Kruid is team lead international biodiversity at the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. Since 2023 she leads the Dutch delegation to UN Biodiversity (CBD) COPs and plenary sessions of IPBES and has taken up various roles representing the EU. Furthermore, she is vice-chair of the SBSTTA, the scientific and technical body of the CBD. Sanne aims to improve the science-policy interface in the field of biodiversity, both on the international, as well as on the national level.
Sarah de Rijcke
Rector Magnificus and Professor of Science, Technology & Innovation Studies at Leiden University
Sarah de Rijcke is Rector Magnificus and Professor of Science, Technology & Innovation Studies at Leiden University. Her research focuses on the social study of research evaluation, examining how quality control mechanisms shape knowledge production across scientific fields. She co-authored the influential Leiden Manifesto (2015) and has led major international initiatives on responsible research assessment and open science, including projects funded by the European Research Council. De Rijcke has advised UNESCO, the ISC, and major European research funders, and is fellow of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences & Letters (VS) and the Royal Holland Society of Sciences & Arts (KHMW).
Closing Ceremony Speakers
Grégoire Dubois
Senior Expert, Lead of the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) at the Joint Research Centre
Grégoire Dubois is a Senior Expert at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and leads the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD). A zoologist and radiobiologist with a PhD in geostatistics, he has spent more than two decades bridging science and policy. His work focuses on integrating biodiversity considerations across a wide range of European and international policies, ensuring that ecological evidence informs decision-making beyond the environmental sector. Through the KCBD, he promotes the use of open data and scientific knowledge to support sustainable resource management and effective biodiversity governance at global scale.