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Meet the speakers and explore the agenda for the Darwin Initiative Seminar Series

On Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 April 2026, the Darwin Initiative is hosting a hybrid seminar series, for projects past and present and the wider conservation community. This learning event is taking place at the Zoological Society of London’s Huxley Lecture Theatre and Bartlett Suite, in London, UK, and is being streamed online via Zoom.

Structured as four themed sessions across two days, the event will bring together Project Leaders and Experts to share practical experience, lessons learned, and insights from delivering Darwin Initiative projects on the ground.

Each session will feature presentations from Darwin Initiative funded projects, followed by chaired panel discussions, creating space for open dialogue, reflection, and audience engagement.

Explore the four themed sessions and meet the speakers below.

Tuesday 21^st April 2026

Session 1: Finance and Market-Based Approaches

This session will explore practical approaches to livelihoods, market chains, and conservation incentives, with a focus on understanding value-chain legacies and identifying successful market interventions.

Panel Chair - Jo Elliot

Jo Elliott is an economist and strategy consultant with a long career in the private, government, and NGO sectors specialising in business-nature-people linkages. She has spent extensive periods based in Indonesia and Kenya and recently left Fauna & Flora after 12 years as Global Conservation Director.

Project Presenter & Panellist - Emmanuel Mgimwa

Emmanuel Mgimwa is a conservation biologist working for Nature Tanzania, a BirdLife International partner in Tanzania. From a young age, Emmanuel has loved birds, and working to conserve birds and their habitats is a mission that fits his passion. He has been working with communities, government, and the private sector to conserve and protect Lake Natron, a Ramsar Site. Emmanuel currently serves as the Executive Director of Nature Tanzania.

Darwin Initiative Main project: Developing a Community Based Ecotourism Model at Lake Natron, Tanzania

Project Presenter & Panellist - Matthew Snell

Matthew Snell joined the University of Huddersfield in 2015 after spending 17 years working with NGOs and social enterprises. He manages conservation livelihoods projects in southwest Ethiopia, in partnership with Adrian Wood, Byongjun Hwang, and Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resources Association. These action research projects focus on participatory forest management amid Ethiopia’s Afromontane forests, seeking to develop sustainable value chains for non-timber forest products, particularly wild coffee, and forest honey. In addition, his research includes off-grid renewable household energy, community development in marginalised rural communities, and human rights.

Darwin Initiative Main project: NTFP micro-enterprises for competitive forests and livelihoods in Ethiopia

Panellist - Thomas Ratsakatika

Thomas Ratsakatika is a doctoral researcher in Environmental Data Science at the University of Cambridge and a former private sector development adviser with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, formerly DFID. He has designed and led programmes in sustainable agribusiness, renewable energy, climate finance, and market systems in Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, working closely with governments, businesses, development finance institutions, and NGOs. His current research focuses on artificial intelligence for environmental analysis, with applications in biodiversity conservation and land-use monitoring.

Panellist - Sue Snyman

Sue Snyman is Director of Research at the African Leadership University’s School of Wildlife Conservation, with over 25 years of experience in resource and environmental economics, community development in and around conservation areas, sustainable conservation finance, nature-based tourism, the wildlife economy, and biodiversity conservation in Africa. Her current research focuses on promoting sustainable, diversified wildlife economies in Africa, and encouraging investment in conservation and the related wildlife economy activities and value chains.

Session 2: Locally Led / Human Rights, and Inclusion

In this session, Experts and Project Leaders will discuss what “locally led” really means in practice and whether it correlates with project success and legitimacy. What have projects done and what works well? It will also consider best practice use of free, prior, and informed consent, and challenges frequently encountered by projects including rising casework, reputational risk, and the need for capacity building around community engagement and enforcement contexts.

Panel Chair - Dilys Roe

Dilys Roe is Principal Researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) where she leads the institute’s work on biodiversity and wildlife conservation. She is also Chair of the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group. Dilys’ work focusses on the human dimensions of conservation, including understanding and supporting the necessary conditions for effective community-based conservation, enhancing community voices in conservation policymaking, and linking wildlife use and conservation with local economic development and sustainable livelihoods.

Project Presenter & Panellist - Ziva Justinek

Ziva Justinek’s passion for nature led her to Indonesia nearly a decade ago, where she initially led and managed research projects focusing on ecology, animal behaviour, and human-wildlife interface across multiple species and islands. Experiencing the disconnect between pure nature research and people’s lived realities, she recognised her drive could bring most impact by bridging the two. Ziva’s care for people and equity aligns closely with the values of Planet Indonesia, and for the past two years she has supported the organisation’s fundraising efforts and ecosystem impact assessments.

Darwin Initiative Extra project: Scaling rights-based approaches for conservation and poverty reduction in Indonesia

Project Presenter & Panellist - Lindie Botha

Lindie Botha is a development specialist and scholar with more than 20 years of NGO experience. For the last decade, her work has centred on conservation challenges in the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. She is a technical consultant with Conservation Synergies which aims to strengthen the resilience of conservation agencies at the frontline of addressing wildlife crime in Africa and Asia. Other areas of focus include social safeguards, gender mainstreaming, ethical practice in law enforcement and stakeholder mobilisation. Lindie is committed to bridging social science and conservation practice, and to foreground the voices of local actors in organisational transformation initiatives and policy dialogues.

Darwin Initiative Innovation project: Inside-out: Building a Framework for ranger Gender Equity & Social Inclusion (GESI)

Panellist - Patricia Mupeta-Muyamwa

Patricia Mupeta is a natural resource governance specialist with 27 years of experience spanning natural resource governance, human rights, environmental and social safeguards, Indigenous and community-led conservation, protected area management, and rural development. She has worked with The Nature Conservancy since 2011 and currently serves as the Global Director of Human Rights in Conservation. In this role, Patricia leads the integration of human rights and environmental and social safeguards principles into TNC’s conservation strategies and programmes worldwide. This global portfolio places human rights at the centre of conservation design, implementation, and scaling.

Panellist - Emma Jones-Phillipson

Emma Jones-Phillipson is a gender and climate specialist, policy analyst, and researcher from Cape Town, South Africa, with extensive experience in mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social and Inclusion (GESI) in multi-sectoral climate, sustainability, and biodiversity finance project preparation and implementation across the world. She holds an MSc in Public Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, with a more than a decade's experience in developing, implementing, and assessing projects and policy in least developed countries. In 2023, she authored the Biodiversity Challenge Funds Gender Equity and Social Inclusion study report which can be found on the Learning and Evidence page under Resources.

Wednesday 22^nd April 2026

Session 3: Scaling Impact

This session will look at how Darwin Initiative projects have left a lasting impact through scaling up activities and engaging with local government and policy. It will also explore how projects can have greater impacts together rather than individually. This theme will showcase good ‘whole-of-government’ approaches, and those projects that have affected positive influence.

Panel Chair - Noëlle Kümpel

Noëlle Kümpel has over 25 years’ experience in conservation science, project / programme management, and policy. This includes five years in the field in Africa and Asia and doctoral / postdoctoral research on the sustainability of wild meat hunting. She now specialises in advocating and advising on equitable, carbon-neutral, nature-positive targets, policy, and implementation through international conventions and other policy mechanisms. Her expertise spans topics as varied as protected and conserved areas, human rights, and finance / corporate sector engagement. She currently chairs the Darwin Expert Committee.

Project Presenter & Panellist - Bryony Morgan

Bryony Morgan is the Senior Programme Manager – Himalayan NTFPs at TRAFFIC. She is a specialist in the sustainable and equitable trade of wild harvested resources, with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods, and natural resource governance. Bryony’s work focuses on strengthening wild Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) value chains, so they support ecological resilience and human well-being. At TRAFFIC, Bryony manages the Darwin Initiative project, DAREX012, which develops practical models for sustainable harvesting, improved governance, and fair benefit sharing in Nepal’s Himalayan NTFP sector.

Darwin Initiative Extra project: Scaling conservation of Himalayan plants and fungi through sustainable trade

Project Presenter & Panellist - Nigel Asquith

Nigel Asquith focuses on creating economic incentives for conservation, previously helping create more than 100 municipal incentive-based conservation programs across the northern Andes. He directed the transition of the EcoFund Foundation to become a strategic conservation investor in northern Ecuador. Nigel’s technical expertise is in plant-animal relations in neotropical forests, ecosystem service valuation, policy analysis, and the use of market-based tools for environmental management. He was a research fellow at Harvard’s Sustainability Science Programme in 2008 and 2013, and is a 2005 Kinship Conservation Fellow. Nigel is currently working with Cuencas Sustentable in Bolivia.

Darwin Initiative Main project: Sustainable KBA conservation through the strengthening of city-based water funds

Panellist - Serah Munguti

Serah Munguti has worked in conservation for over 20 years, the majority of which she spent influencing conservation and development policy locally, nationally, and globally. Her expertise spans river basin management, land use planning, strategic environmental assessment, and design of community conservation areas. In 2016, a land use plan, whose formulation she oversaw, won the Royal Town Planning Institute International Award for planning excellence. She was subsequently nominated as a finalist for the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa. Serah’s interest in wildlife was born in early childhood, after becoming fascinated by dust bathing elephants in Amboseli National Park. Serah currently works for Fauna & Flora.

Panellist - Christoph Stein

Christoph Stein has been working for many years as a consultant, trainer, and coach in the environmental sector in diverse countries and societies. His interest in people and the way they organise themselves evolved from studies in political science, and understanding and communicating with people is essential in his work. Project conception, implementation, and evaluation are key components of Christoph’s work as environmental . Christoph has supported the Biodiversity Challenge Funds for a number of years through project reviews and wider programmatic studies.

Session 4: Lessons from the Past 30 Years

The Darwin Initiative is the UK Government’s longest-running international biodiversity grant fund under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Since its launch in 1992, the Darwin Initiative has supported over 1,370 projects worldwide (as of 2026). This session will explore how the fund has adapted to a changing global context, while continuing to support impactful, on-the-ground conservation, focusing on the legacy of Darwin Initiative projects over its thirty-year history and how this ongoing evolution continues to shape the project design, delivery, and impact.

Panel Chair - David Macdonald

David Macdonald, a leader in conservation science, is a British zoologist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The University of Oxford’s first Professor of Wildlife Conservation, he is also the Founding Director of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit there. David is both an accomplished leader in conservation science and research, and one of the most prominent international figures in raising public awareness of the importance of biodiversity, popularising biology through his films and books. David was the founding Chairman of Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee and also previously chaired the Darwin Expert Committee.

Project Presenter & Panellist - Nelson Amaral

Nelson Amaral is a fisheries scientist and marine conservation professional, currently leading fisheries programmes at Blue Ventures in Timor-Leste. He has over six years of experience in sustainable fisheries, research, and data-driven programme management, with expertise in marine ecology, ecosystem restoration, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and digital tools. Nelson has led impactful initiatives supporting coastal communities in their locally-led fisheries management, through research, evidence-based decision-making, and government engagement. Passionate about the blue economy, he collaborates with communities and partners to strengthen coastal resilience, improve fishers’ livelihoods, and promote sustainable fishing practices in Timor-Leste.

Darwin Initiative Main project: Incentivising community-led marine biodiversity conservation on Atauro Island

Project Presenter & Panellist - Tasnim Elboute

Tasnim Elboute coordinates the High Atlas Cultural Landscapes (HACL) Programme with Global Diversity Foundation. The programme’s focus on biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods aligns with Tasnim’s mission to support community-led development and environmental justice efforts across Morocco. Tasnim first joined the organisation as a policy researcher, looking at how cultural landscapes initiatives contribute to national and international environmental commitments. She graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies in 2017. She has been based in Morocco since then, researching the environment, food systems, and development, leading to a Master’s in Anthropology & Development at SOAS, University of London.

Darwin Initiative Extra project: Ensuring the socio-ecological viability of High Atlas cultural landscapes

Panellist - Matthew Gollock

Matthew Gollock has over 25 years’ experience researching and conserving aquatic species. He is interested in migratory species – particularly elasmobranchs and anguillid eels – and the management and policy mechanisms required to conserve their unique life histories. He has a particular interest in the species-focussed UN Conventions, CITES and CMS, and currently works for the Zoological Society of London.

Panellist - Eilidh Young

Eilidh Young is the Biodiversity Challenge Funds Lead Administrator at NIRAS and has been working on the funds since 2004, when the Darwin Initiative was the only programme in place. Over more than 20 years, she has seen the funds develop and evolve, building a wealth of institutional knowledge. She has supported and overseen hundreds of Darwin Initiative projects, from application through funding, reporting, and project closure. Eilidh understands that projects require flexibility to respond to changing circumstances, from natural disasters to the impact of human conflict. She is passionate about supporting projects to deliver positive impact across both natural and human worlds.

How to attend the event:

This event is free to all attendees, whether you would like to join in-person or online.

How to attend in person in London:

• Click here to register for a ticket on via Eventbrite
• Registration deadline: 12pm UK time on Thursday 16th April 2026.
• If you wish to attend both days, you will need to register for each day individually.
• Please note there is a waiting list for in‑person attendance. We would be grateful if you can no longer attend in London, please cancel your Eventbrite registration or get in touch, so the place can be offered to another attendee.

How to attend online via Zoom:

• If you wish to attend both days, you will need to register for each day individually.
• Register here to attend Tuesday 21st April 2026 Day 1 online.
• Register here to attend Wednesday 22nd April 2026 Day 2 online.

Whether you join us in person or online, we would be delighted to have you take part in this exciting event designed to strengthen learning, collaboration, and shared insight across the Darwin Initiative community.

Please note that these sessions will be recorded, and the recordings will be added to the website via the Workshops and Webinars pages under Resources.

The Biodiversity Challenge Funds team hope to welcome you to this event soon.