Prof. B. C. Choudhury, a pioneering wildlife biologist, conservationist, herpetologist, and wetland expert, served nearly 30 years at the Wildlife Institute of India, retiring as Senior Professor and Scientist ‘G’ in 2012. He has coordinated over 50 national and international conservation projects, trained generations of wildlife professionals, and served on numerous IUCN specialist groups and global committees. Currently a senior advisor to leading conservation organizations, he is a recipient of the SCB Distinguished Service Award (2005) for his work on Indian cranes, sea turtles, and crocodilians. 

Dr. K. Kathiresan has received several honors, including the Tamil Nadu Scientist Award and the international “NAGA” Award by WorldFish Centre, and is an elected Fellow of the National Institute of Ecology (2004), Mangrove Society of India (2017), and National Academy of Biological Sciences (2019). He has served as National Consultant for preparing mangrove management guidelines for the Government of India and IUCN. Currently, he is Vice-President of both the National Institute of Ecology and Mangrove Society of India, a member of the IUCN Mangrove Specialist Group, and part of national and state-level committees on taxonomy, mangroves, and coral reefs.

Dr. Shalini Dhyani is a Principal Scientist at the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, and the South Asia Chair for the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management. Her work focuses on ecosystem-based adaptation, nature-based solutions, and sustainable development, with extensive contributions to policy and practice at national and international levels. Dr. Dhyani has been instrumental in mainstreaming ecological approaches into climate resilience and biodiversity conservation strategies across India. 

Surajit Das is a Professor in the Department of Life Science at NIT Rourkela, where he leads the Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (LEnME). His research focuses on marine microbial ecology, biofilms, bioremediation, and climate change impacts on aquatic microbes. He is also a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (South Asia). 

Dr. Manjrekar is a Deputy Director at the Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra, responsible for Research & Capacity Building. 

Prof. Chatterjee has immense expertise in Atmospheric Chemistry, Air Pollutants and Air Quality, Bio-geo-chemistry of the environment. 

Prof. Subimal Ghosh is Institute Chair Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Convener of the Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay with research interests in hydrology and hydro-climatology.  

Dr Roshni Arora is a hydroecologist with a keen interest in nature and ecological conservation. She has more than eight years of experience in freshwater science, hydroecology, data analysis and modelling, and conservation.  

Prof. Krishna Ray is a plant biologist who is engaged in ecological restoration endeavors in the degraded mangrove ecosystems of Indian Sundarbans since 2014 with allied research such as reproductive ecology of mangrove and its associate species. Mangrove microbiome and its exploitation in RET mangrove species’ establishment & growth improvement via multi-tasking PGPRB consortia. Mangrove ecophysiology for osmotic adjustment and abiotic stress acclimation.