Bio
I am an economist of natural resources, with 20 years of expertise on the costs and benefits linked to desertification process as well as to the assessment of projects to combat desertification, with a specialty on the socio-economics of rural development, applied to land tenure in the Sahel, to land neutrality in the international negotiations (UNCCD), and more recently to the agroecological transition in North Africa (HE NATAE project).

Bio
Generosa Calabrese is a senior researcher and lecturer specializing in agricultural biodiversity and sustainability assessment of agricultural systems. She has 27 years of experience in drafting and coordinating national and European research projects. She has been with the Department of Organic Agriculture at CIHEAM Bari since 1998, where she developed expertise in sustainable and organic agriculture. Her work focuses on: a) agroecology; b) biodiversity assessment at multiple spatial scales; c) methodological development for biodiversity monitoring; d) support for biodiversity management in protected areas and Natura 2000 sites; e) studies on the impacts of agriculture on land resources. As a lecturer, she teaches biodiversity, ecology, agroecology, ecosystem services, landscape analysis, and participatory approaches to natural resource management. She contributes to various courses and disciplines, including: a) Conservation practices, agroecology, and biodiversity in the SARD training programs; b) biodiversity modules in the Master's in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture; c) agroecology. He serves on evaluation committees for master's degree programs and contributed to a doctoral program in Environment, Resources, and Sustainable Development (2010-2012), serving as a teacher, tutor, advisor, and member of the admissions committee. Calabrese has participated in and coordinated multidisciplinary national and European projects, particularly leading studies on biodiversity and the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Bio
Mercedes Muñoz Cañas is Programme Manager at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, leading the Nature Conservation & Food Systems portfolio. With 20+ years of experience in conservation across the Mediterranean and beyond, her work focuses on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity mainstreaming and nature-positive food systems. She is the author of IUCN’s Monitoring Land Health in Agricultural Landscapes-guidance note and collaborates widely with ministries, research institutions and regional partners.

Bio
From a scientific perspective, I have built my career on the conviction that mobility, across research groups, countries, and disciplines, is a powerful engine for innovation. This mindset has allowed me to explore the behavioural ecology of Hymenoptera through an exciting variety of lenses: pollination ecology, endangered and invasive plants, chemical communication, food production, landscape ecology, and even socio-political dynamics.My recent roles have ranged from field and laboratory researcher to project manager of major national (BeeNet) and international (REALMed) initiatives. To date, I have authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications (including one in PNAS), over 40 outreach and technical reports, and more than 80 conference contributions, each reflecting my enthusiasm for discovery and communication. My societal engagement is equally important to me. My involvement in science policy, particularly at the European level, has been deeply enriching. I organized events for the Marie Curie Fellows Association (having received two Marie Curie Fellowships myself), served as an expert panelist at the EU2013 Research and Career Mobility Conference, and led a project on Dual Careers for Mobile Researchers selected for ESOF 2018.

Bio
Ayantu Tadesse Deressa is a PhD candidate in Sustainable Territory Management at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy. Her doctoral research focuses on the use of remote sensing to study land cultivation practices. She holds a Master’s degree in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture from CIHEAM Bari, where her thesis on assessing agricultural biodiversity using remote sensing techniques was awarded Best Thesis of the Year. She also earned a first Master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture. Ayantu has over two years of professional experience as an agronomist in Ethiopia and completed a one-year internship at AICAT SAPER in Israel, as well as professional experience in a flower production center. Her work bridges agriculture, biodiversity, and geospatial analysis, supporting sustainable farming systems.