Speakers

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Speakers

IYSF 2026 Speakers

Carlos Ruiz-Garvia

Carlos Ruiz-Garvia

UNFCCC secretariat

Team Lead, Adaptation Committee, Adaptation Division, UNFCCC secretariat

Research Focus

Climate adaptation governance · resilience planning · international climate cooperation

Profile

Leads work supporting the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee and the implementation of international climate adaptation policy.

John Innes

John Innes

University of British Columbia

Dean Emeritus · Forest Renewal BC Chair in Forest Management

Research Focus

Sustainable forest management · forest governance · certification · climate change

Profile

An international forestry scholar whose work connects sustainable management, monitoring, communities and climate adaptation.

Guangyu Wang

Guangyu Wang

University of British Columbia

Associate Dean, Asian Strategies · Professor · Director, Asia Forest Research Centre

Research Focus

Sustainable forest and watershed management · protected areas · nature therapy · human well-being

Profile

Also leads UBC initiatives in nature therapy and national parks, linking forest systems, restoration and human health.

Siren Lan

Siren Lan

Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University

Counsellor, Fujian Provincial People’s Government · Former President · Professor

Research Focus

National parks · protected areas · biodiversity conservation · ecological governance

Profile

Professor and doctoral supervisor with extensive work in landscape architecture, forestry, biodiversity and ecological civilization.

Fuliang Cao

Fuliang Cao

Nanjing Forestry University

Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering · Professor

Research Focus

Silviculture · forest ecology · forest culture · ginkgo · bamboo

Profile

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Nanjing Forestry University, with long-standing research in silviculture, forest ecology and the cultivation and utilization of major forest resources.

Amy Duchelle

Amy Duchelle

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Senior Forestry Officer and Team Leader, Forests and Climate, Forestry Division, FAO

Research Focus

Forests and climate · mitigation and adaptation · integrated fire and risk management · resilient livelihoods

Profile

Leads FAO’s Forests and Climate team and will deliver her IYSF 2026 keynote presentation online.

Haitao Li

Haitao Li

University of British Columbia

Geospatial Systems Analyst, Forest Resources Management

Research Focus

GIS · remote sensing · geospatial analysis · machine learning · forest applications

Profile

Geospatial specialist working across GIS, remote sensing, data analysis and machine-learning applications for forest-resource management.

Nitin Arora

Nitin Arora

UNFCCC secretariat

Lead, UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub (UGIH), UNFCCC secretariat

Research Focus

Climate innovation · carbon markets · systemic solutions for low-emission and climate-resilient development

Profile

Climate innovation and carbon-markets specialist working across policy, finance, technology and partnerships to advance systemic climate solutions.

Mohammed Al-Amin

Mohammed Al-Amin

University of Chittagong

Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences

Research Focus

Forest management · climate change adaptation · GIS and remote sensing

Profile

Studies forest management, climate adaptation and GIS applications in forestry, including forest-carbon measurement challenges in developing countries.

Jorge Mario Chavez

Jorge Mario Chavez

National Agrarian University La Molina, Peru

Professor, Faculty of Forestry Sciences

Research Focus

Natural resource conservation · protected areas · ecotourism

Profile

Works on natural resource conservation, protected areas and ecotourism.

Analyn L. Codilan

Analyn L. Codilan

University of the Philippines Los Baños

Professor and Associate Dean

Research Focus

Natural resource assessment · forest biometry · forest management

Profile

Studies natural resource assessment, forest biometry and forest management, linking ecosystem services, human well-being and sustainable development.

Wirongrong Duangjai

Wirongrong Duangjai

Kasetsart University

Vice Dean for International Affairs and Assistant Professor, Faculty of Forestry

Research Focus

Farm forestry · agroforestry · sustainable land use

Profile

Studies farm forestry, agroforestry and sustainable land use.

Shirong Liu

Shirong Liu

Chinese Academy of Forestry

Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering · Chief Scientist and Research Professor

Research Focus

Forest ecosystem ecology · ecological restoration · forest hydrology · climate adaptation

Profile

A forest ecologist studying ecosystem restoration, carbon storage and responses to climate change.

Nidhi Nagabhatla

Nidhi Nagabhatla

United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies

Senior Research Fellow, UNU-CRIS

Research Focus

Water security · ecosystem management · sustainable development

Profile

Works on water security, ecosystem management and sustainable development.

Naresworo Nugroho

Naresworo Nugroho

IPB University, Indonesia

Professor, Faculty of Forestry and Environment

Research Focus

Timber engineering · wood-based materials · renewable materials · sustainable construction

Profile

A biomaterials specialist working on timber engineering, wood-based materials and sustainable construction.

Dharmapala Kankanamalage Nihal Gamini Pushpakumara

Dharmapala Kankanamalage Nihal Gamini Pushpakumara

University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Professor · Director, Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA)

Research Focus

Agroforestry · forest genetic resources · agricultural biodiversity

Profile

Studies agroforestry, forest genetic resources and agricultural biodiversity, including resilient landscapes across protected areas and watersheds.

Cristián Francisco Bonacic Salas

Cristián Francisco Bonacic Salas

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Professor, School of Agriculture and Natural Systems

Research Focus

Wildlife conservation · biodiversity · sustainable wildlife management

Profile

A wildlife scientist working on biodiversity conservation, wildlife management and relationships between people and wildlife.

David Sands

David Sands

RIZOME · Bamboo Living

Founder and CEO, RIZOME · Co-founder, Bamboo Living

Research Focus

Bamboo engineering · bamboo housing · building codes · carbon removal · reforestation

Profile

A bamboo-building pioneer developing structural bamboo materials as a climate solution.

Juan Shi

Juan Shi

Beijing Forestry University

Professor and Associate Dean, School of Forestry

Research Focus

Forest pest invasion · plant quarantine · invasive species detection

Profile

Studies invasive forest pests, plant quarantine and methods for detecting invasive species.

Antanas Vytas Spokevicius

Antanas Vytas Spokevicius

The University of Melbourne

Senior Lecturer in Forest Ecosystem Science

Research Focus

Forest biotechnology · tree genetics · wood formation

Profile

Uses genetics and molecular biology to study wood formation and improve trees.

Weiwei Wang

Weiwei Wang

Thompson Rivers University

Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resource Science, Faculty of Science

Research Focus

Wildfire activity · burn severity · fire-fuel feedback · community wildfire risk

Profile

Models wildfire activity, burn severity and community-level fire risk across Canada.

Adam Wei

Adam Wei

University of British Columbia

Professor, Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences

Research Focus

Ecohydrology · forest ecology · watershed management · climate change impacts

Profile

Studies forest hydrology, watershed management and the effects of disturbance and climate change on water.

Huan Yu

Huan Yu

Differential Robotics · Zhejiang University team

Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Differential Robotics · affiliated with Professor Gao Fei’s team at Zhejiang University

Research Focus

Embodied intelligence · flying robots · autonomous UAVs · swarm technology · forest applications

Profile

Connects advances in autonomous aerial robots with practical applications in complex environments.

Registration

Join the keynote dialogue

December 8–9, 2026 Fujian, China