Call for Plenary nominations is now closed!
Plenary Talks
The International Marine Conservation Congress has a rich tradition of thought-provoking and dynamic plenary talks. For IMCC7, we invite the conservation community to nominate possible plenary speakers.
We feature speakers who have made a major contribution to the science or practice of ocean conservation, and have insights to share with the global marine conservation community in an engaging way. Talks which are broadly relevant to a global audience of scientists and practitioners, and especially contributions in an African context, have been given priority.
Please let us know if you have any questions at imcc@conbio.org
Here are the current speakers for the upcoming Seventh International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC7):
The 7th International Marine Conservation Congress
OCTOBER 13-18, 2024
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Dr Rima Jabado is the Deputy Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and Chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. As a scientist and conservationist, she has spent over 20 years developing and working on conservation initiatives globally.
Her work focuses on bridging the gap between science and policy to ensure issues such as bycatch, threatened species conservation, and illegal trade are tackled. Her research has been instrumental in influencing decision makers to implement meaningful measures for the protection of species across a range of fisheries.
She is now leading the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project to ensure sharks, rays, and chimaeras are considered in area-based management initiatives around the world. She is a member of the IUCN Marine Conservation Committee, serves as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Appointed Scientific Councilor for Fish, and sits on the Advisory Committee for the CMS Sharks Memorandum of Understanding as the representative of the Asia region. She has also founded the Elasmo Project, a non-profit initiative that encourages and supports work in data-poor areas focused on investigating shark and ray fisheries and trade.
Angelo Villagomez is a senior fellow at American Progress, where he focuses on Indigenous-led conservation. Born in a village on an island in the western Pacific Ocean next to the Mariana Trench and trained in Western scientific methods, Villagomez is a conservation advocate who uses Indigenous knowledge and values and the scientific method to address modern threats including habitat loss, fishing, and climate colonialism.
Villagomez worked for 14 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he was an advocate for the designation and expansion of the national marine monuments in the Pacific islands and a policy expert on global shark conservation. During his tenure at Pew, he led efforts to secure an agreement at the International Union for Conservation of Nature committing governments to protect at least 30 percent of the ocean in fully to highly protected marine areas and contributed to The MPA Guide and the IUCN MPA Standards. He previously worked for the League of Conservation Voters, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.
Villagomez holds bachelor’s degrees in biology from the University of Richmond and environmental policy from Rollins College. He is a mediocre ukulele player and enjoys scuba diving in warm tropical waters full of fish.
Dr. Judy Mann-Lang is passionate the oceans, and inspiring people to care for nature. Through her career she has combined these two passions through education and training, management, leadership and research.
She is the Executive of Strategic Projects at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, building the new ‘People and the Ocean’ Division. Before joining the Foundation, she spent 30 years at the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) in Durban where she held various roles including Director of Education, uShaka Sea World Director, the first woman Chief Executive Officer of SAAMBR and Conservation Strategist.
Dr Arthur Tuda is the Executive Director of WIOMSA, Arthur Tuda draws on over two decades of experience in marine conservation and management in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). In his capacity, he spearheads capacity building initiatives for marine management and promotes impactful marine research, contributing to sustainable ocean governance in the region.
He earned his Ph.D. in Marine and Coastal management from Universidad de Cádiz in Spain.
Dr. Tuda has also worked and published on fisheries management, marine spatial planning, marine ecosystem services, community-based marine conservation and ocean governance. In parallel with his research and MPA management activities, Arthur has also contributed to community awareness of science through training local community leaders in the management of community conserved areas. He uses his science and management background to develop practical tools that support community engagement in marine conservation..
Dr. Rashid Sumaila is a University Killam Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia.
He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Bergen and his B.Sc. in Quantity Surveying from the Ahmadu Bello University.
He is widely published, cited and awarded. He is also a featured speaker at a wide range of conferences and a favored source for journalists and other writers researching ocean sustainability.
