Parallel 2A
Michael Wolosin
Dr. Michael Wolosin is the President of Forest Climate Analytics, a small consultancy that advises NGOs, think tanks, foundations, and governments on their climate and forest work. Prior to launching Forest Climate Analytics, Michael was a Managing Director at Climate Advisers, leading the firm’s forest policy practice. Michael previously worked with the Nature Conservancy to strengthen U.S. policies to conserve tropical forests, and was a Policy Fellow at C2ES. He did his doctoral research in forest ecology at Duke University and studied mathematics at Brown University. Michael has authored dozens of reports, briefs, analyses, and peer-reviewed papers, and has been quoted extensively in the press.
Dr Ludovic Ngok Banak
Dr. Ludovic Ngok Banak is the Advisor in charge of questions related to sustainable development to the Minister of Economy, Forecasting and Development Programming of Gabon. Dr. Ngok graduated in 2005 with a scientific PhD degree, specialising in Ecology and Systemic at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium).
From 2005 to 2008, Dr Ngok held responsibilities as a Curator of the National Herbarium of Gabon. In 2005 to 2006, he began Deputy Director of the Institute of Research in Tropical Ecology (IRET). From 2006 to 2010, Dr. Ngok was promoted to Director of the Institute of Research in Tropical Ecology (IRET). In 2012 to 2013, he was Deputy Coordinator of the EC-LEDS / SilvaCarbon Program.
He was then appointed Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Employment and Sustainable Development from 2013 to 2014. Since 2015, he is the Advisor in charge of questions related to sustainable development to the Minister of Economy, Forecasting and Development Programming of Gabon.In addition to being a Gabonese government official, Dr. Ngok is also a Member of the Gabonese negotiating team for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.
Tom Evans
Tom Evans leads WCS cross-cutting program on REDD+ and Forest Conservation. He supports efforts by WCS field programs to link climate finance and better forest protection, and coordinates WCS work on two broader initiatives, Intact Forests and Trillion Trees.
Barbara Zimmerman
Barbara Zimmerman obtained her MSc (University of Guelph, Ontario) and PhD (Florida State University) degrees in tropical forest community ecology. In 1991 she became involved with the struggle of the Kayapo Indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon to defend their rights and land in the face of the rapidly advancing frontier. Since then, she has worked with local, national and international partner NGO’s and Kayapo communities to strengthen Kayapo capacity for protecting 110,000 km2 of their legally ratified territories from encroachment, invasion and deforestation in the lawless frontier.
The first conservation enterprise with a Kayapo community was a biological research station that Dr Zimmerman established with the community of A’Ukre in 1992. The A’Ukre field station attracted Brazilian and international graduate students to research ecology in a pristine and protected forest wilderness while at the same time benefitting the community with entry fees, employment, training and information.
The research station project resulted in conservation of a large undisturbed population of high value mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) trees which were being sold illegally by the Kayapo at the time. The success of the A’Ukre conservation and development model led international NGO supporters to expand investment with the Kayapo across their vast block of territories which are located in the Xingu river basin in the midst of the frontier “arc of deforestation” zone.
Dr Zimmerman oversees the design, implementation, coordination and funding of conservation and development programs with Kayapo communities. The objective of these programs is to improve Kayapo capacity for continuing to defend and sustainably manage 11,000,000 ha of their natural forest lands in the highly threatened southeastern Amazon.
Christopher Stewart
Dr Christopher Stewart heads the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability function for Olam International, a global “seed-to-shelf” agricultural business with operations in 66 countries. Olam grows, sources, processes, trades and supplies around 47 different food and fibre commodities including cocoa, coffee, cotton, edible nuts, grains, spices & vegetable ingredients and wood products, to over 22,000 customers.
Olam prides itself in putting sustainability at the heart of its business model, through a uniquely close association with its 4.7 million farmer suppliers, the vast majority of which are smallholders in developing countries.
Christopher joined Olam in 2013 to oversee the design and sustainable management of Olam’s palm and rubber plantations in Gabon. He now leads Olam’s drive to translate its Core Purpose, Reimagining Global Agriculture, into sustainable business strategies, addressing our common challenge of producing food sustainably within living landscapes, contributing to a triple positive impact on prosperous farmers and farming systems, thriving communities and healthy ecosystems.
Christopher Stewart is also a panelist in parallel session 4D.