Panel 1: Conservation & Ecosystems
What nature-based climate solutions are available for ecosystems? Climate change has caused staggering biodiversity loss and habitat degradation. This panel will explore solutions to ecological climate damage which forefronts and recentres the victims of that damage, seeking to leverage natural means for natural ends.
Our Speakers:
Dr Timo Kohler: Cambridge-trained biochemist and stem cell biologist whose research spans embryonic development and pluripotency - the ability of cells to become any cell type - while bridging cutting-edge science with biodiversity conservation. He applies this expertise to species preservation and ecosystem resilience, exploring how emerging biological tools might support conservation science and genetic rescue efforts. As a board member and scientific advisor of Hoja Nueva, Dr Kohler helps steer conservation research and field-based biodiversity initiatives in the Peruvian Amazon’s threatened rainforest landscapes.
Charlie Gardner: Interdisciplinary conservation scientist, communicator, and activist whose work focuses on how societies respond to the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises. He spent a decade working in Madagascar with organisations including WWF, contributing to the country’s ambitious Durban Vision to dramatically expand its protected area network, while researching how conservation can be reconciled with local development. Alongside academic research, he writes widely on climate and conservation for outlets such as The Guardian and The Conversation and works with NGOs to advance practical ecosystem protection.
Prof James Wood: Alborada Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science at Cambridge. He is an infectious disease epidemiologist in the Disease Dynamics Unit; he is also co-chair of Cambridge Infectious Diseases Interdisciplinary Research Centre and his research focuses on One Health approaches to the investigation of disease emergence, especially from wildlife and its control. He is involved in collaborative multidisciplinary studies of the ecology and emergence of RNA viruses from fruit bats in Ghana and control of bovine tuberculosis in Ethiopia, India and UK.
Iain Webb: Has worked in conservation in Cambridge for over 25 years and is part of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire. With extensive experience in habitat management and community conservation, he focuses on protecting and restoring local ecosystems across the region. His work highlights the vital role of landscape-scale nature recovery in building resilience to climate change.
Yair Perry: Product manager and sustainability researcher with an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge. His academic work focuses on green infrastructure and the role of nature-based solutions in building climate-resilient cities. As part of Water Sensitive Cambridge, he contributes to community-led responses to the region’s growing water challenges, exploring how ecological design can support both people and ecosystems.