2026 Keynotes and Agenda

Dr. Mark Plotkin is a world-renowned ethnobotanist and the President of the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), with over 30 years of experience studying traditional plant use alongside indigenous shamans. An alumnus of Harvard, Yale, and Tufts, Dr. Plotkin has spent his career at the forefront of biocultural conservation, previously serving in senior leadership roles at the World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International. A pioneer in documenting nature’s healing secrets, he is the author of the landmark book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice and was named a “Hero for the Planet” by Time Magazine. Dr. Plotkin’s work has been instrumental in empowering indigenous communities to protect their ancestral lands, and he continues to advocate for the protection of uncontacted tribes and the preservation of shamanic traditions as vital components of global environmental health. 

Dr. Carlos Nobre is a Brazilian Earth System scientist known for his research on deforestation in the Amazon, biosphere–atmosphere interactions, and the risk of Amazon “savannization.” He holds an Engineering degree from ITA (Brazil) and a PhD in Meteorology from MIT (USA). He spent more than three decades at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), where he helped establish and later directed the Center for Weather Prediction and Climate Studies (CPTEC) and founded the Center for Earth System Science. Dr. Nobre was one of the architects and Program Scientist of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) and has played a central role in shaping climate science institutions in Brazil.

Dr. Nobre has served as Chair of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme’s Scientific Steering Committee, contributed to multiple IPCC reports, and advised at the science–policy interface as Brazil’s National Secretary for R&D Policy. He is a champion of the Amazonia 4.0 initiative to advance a science-based, standing-forest bioeconomy. He has authored over 200 scientific publications and is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the World Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the UK’s Royal Society.
 

Carlos Eduardo Correa is a Senior Fellow at Conservation International and Ambassador of the Mangrove Breakthrough Initiative. He is also a Board Member of Pristine Seas (National Geographic) and Co-Chair of the Experts Task Force on Nature Positive Cities (WEF). As Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development (2020–2022), he led key sustainability policies, including the Climate Action Law, Colombia’s Carbon Neutrality Program, and the Green Taxonomy. Under his leadership, 34% of Colombia’s marine and terrestrial areas were declared protected, achieving the 2030 target eight years ahead of schedule. He also launched major restoration initiatives, such as the 180 Million Trees Program and One Million Corals for Colombia.

Correa also served as a consultant for UNCCD, organizing the Mayor’s Forum at COP16 in Riyadh, and worked as a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), advising on carbon markets and biodiversity in Latin America. Previously, he served as Mayor of Montería, Colombia (2012–2015). Under his leadership, Montería was recognized as a model city in addressing sustainability challenges.

Kartiki Gonsalves is an Indian director and documentary filmmaker. She is the first Indian film director to have ever won an Academy Award, winning Best Documentary Short Film for her debut film, “The Elephant Whisperers,” at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. She was also awarded with the prestigious Tara Award by their Majesties, King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which recognizes extraordinary achievements in storytelling and advocacy for human-wildlife coexistence, as well as the Paul Harris Award from Rotary International. She was honoured as one of GQ India’s Most Influential Young Indians of 2023. Kartiki strives to document our natural world and to help others better understand the profound connection that we share with it.