Panelists will discuss how and where ILM has been successful, its challenges, and what's in store for the future for climate change, food system transformation, water conservation, biodiversity, and human well-being.

The webinar will conclude with an engaging open Q&A session.

Panelists:

Sara Scherr, President and CEO, EcoAgriculture Partners

Dr. Sara J. Scherr, an agricultural and resource economist, is a prominent voice globally in promoting the restoration of degraded lands. She founded the nonprofit EcoAgriculture Partners in 2002 to promote locally-led agricultural landscape transformation for food security, rural livelihoods and ecosystem services.

In 2019, she launched and now chairs the global collaborative “1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People” to accelerate landscape regeneration worldwide. Sara serves on the Boards of Bioversity International-USA and Solutions from the Land and is a Fellow of the Evergreening Alliance. She also serves on numerous editorial and advisory boards, including those of Commonland and Food Tank, and is a member of the UN Food Systems Summit Action Track on Nature-Positive Production and co-lead for its Governance Action Area. Her research is widely published in scientific and policy literature.

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate-KIC

Chief Executive Officer at EIT Climate-KIC since 2017, Kirsten’s career spans academia, consulting, banking, insurance, strategy, design, innovation and leadership. Prior to roles in Second Road, KPMG and Suncorp in Australia, Kirsten worked in the UK and Italy for 15 years in financial services, consulting and academia, including leadership of Generali Group Innovation Academy for Assicurazioni Generali, pioneering work in strategic risk management and strategic innovation.

Emile Frison, Senior Advisor, Agroecology Coalition

Emile Frizon is a member and founder of the IPES-Food panel, a senior advisor to the Agroecology Coalition, and an expert on conservation and agricultural biodiversity who has headed global research-for-development organisation Bioversity International for ten years, after holding top positions at several global research institutes. A Belgian national, Emile obtained an MSc in Agricultural Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and a PhD in Agricultural Science from the University of Gembloux in Belgium.

Eliane Ubalijoro, Director-General, CIFOR-ICRAF

Éliane Ubalijoro, PhD is Chief Executive Officer of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Director General of ICRAF. An accomplished leader with a background in agriculture and molecular genetics, she serves on several boards and has been recognized for outstanding contributions to innovation, gender equity and sustainable prosperity creation.

Dr Ubalijoro has been a Professor of Practice for public-private sector partnerships at McGill University since 2008. From 2021 to March 2023, she was the Executive Director of Sustainability in the Digital Age and the Canada Hub Director for Future Earth. She is a member of Rwanda’s National Science and Technology Council and Presidential Advisory Council, the Impact Advisory Board of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, the Science for Africa Foundation, the Capitals Coalition Supervisory Board, the External Advisory Committee to the Chief Statistician of Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada on Canada’s first Census of Environment, Digital Green and Genome Canada, among others. She is also a fellow of the International Science Council.

Jagdeesh Puppala, CEO, Living Landscapes

Jagdeesh Rao Puppala is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Omidyar Network India. For the past 35 years, he has been at the forefront of thought leadership, systems thinking and on-the-ground efforts at the interface of ecology, society and economy. He was the CEO of the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) from 2001 to 2020, leading the organization to restore 11 million acres of land by accelerating grassroots efforts and elevating public discourse.

Currently, he is leading the design of the Common Ground initiative and promoting systems leadership for environmental governance and resilient rural livelihoods. As an engaged practitioner, Jagdeesh’s ideas and efforts have played an essential role in the growing recognition of local stewardship of the Commons to reduce poverty and reverse environmental degradation. Jagdeesh has been conferred with the prestigious ‘Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, is a Henry Arnhold Conservation Fellow (Mulago) and a Senior Ashoka Fellow.

Moderator:

Nate Hegyi, Host of ‘Outside In,’ New Hampshire Public Radio, USA

Nate Hegyi is the host of Outside In aired on New Hampshire Public Radio. Nate covers stories related to public lands, federal agencies and tribal affairs, and climate and environmental news. Nate's work has aired on NPR, BBC, CBC and other outlets.

In 2020, he was awarded the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for riding a bicycle. Okay, he also produced a podcast about the 800-mile trip and interviewed rural voters ahead of a contentious election. But mainly he just rode his bicycle, something he likes to do a lot.