Vincent Carruthers

Vincent Carruthers is a retired company director and environmental consultant. He has served on the North West Parks and Tourism Board, the Magaliesberg Advisory Committee and the National Productivity Institute. He is a past Executive Director of the Wildlife Society of SA (now WESSA) and Chairman of the SA Ornithological Society (now Birdlife SA). He is an amphibian and wetland specialist and co-author with Prof. Louis du Preez of South African Frogs – A Complete Guide (2009). Other publications include The Magaliesberg (1990), The Wildlife of Southern Africa: A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region (1997), Cradle of Life (2019) and People of the Magaliesberg (2026). He led the initiative to have the Magaliesberg proclaimed a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2015. He is the recipient of the University of Witwatersrand Gold Medal, North West University Chancellor’s Medal, the Heritage Association of SA Gold Medal and the Zoological Society of SA Silver Medal.

Sandi Willows-Munro

Professor Sandi Willows-Munro was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She received her PhD from Stellenbosch University under the supervision of Conrad Matthee.  She completed a postdoc at the University of Texas in Austin working on the Amphibian Tree of Life Project in the labs of David Hillis and David Cannatella. She is currently head of the Conservation Genetic Lab at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and holds an Associate Professor position in the Department of Genetics. African birds are her passion, and she has been lucky enough to work on the genetics of some of African’s most enigmatic birds including Poicephalus parrots and vultures.  Her field of interest covers evolutionary and molecular biology as a whole. Specifically, she is interested in the use of phylogenetic, phylogeographic and population genetic techniques to examine the genetic factors underpinning evolutionary processes. She is currently secretary of the International Ornithological Union (IOU). She is an elected member of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa and the Southern African Society for Systematic Biology. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Avian Science (IBIS), African Zoology and Global Ecology and Conservation. She was recently appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to serve on the South African Veterinary Council.

Diana Marewangepo

Diana Marewangepo is a distinguished conservation leader whose career has been defined by an unwavering commitment to terrestrial ecology and rhino conservation in Zimbabwe. With deep expertise spanning biodiversity monitoring, ecosystem stewardship, and wildlife policy, she brings both scientific rigour and on-the-ground experience to some of Africa’s most pressing conservation challenges. Diana currently serves as Senior Terrestrial Ecologist for the Harare Region with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA), a role that places her at the forefront of national efforts to safeguard Zimbabwe’s natural heritage. From 2020 to 2024, she held the influential position of Zimbabwe’s National Rhino Coordinator – a testament to the trust placed in her leadership at the highest levels of wildlife management. She is also a respected member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) African Rhino Specialist Group, contributing to continental strategies that shape the future of rhino conservation across Africa. Her academic credentials include a Master’s degree in Ecological Resources Management, complemented by specialised training in GIS, wildlife monitoring technologies, and paramilitary conservation techniques – a rare and powerful combination that equips her to lead in both the field and the boardroom. As a participant in the 2025 Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) Career Program with a focus on rhino conservation, Diana continues to sharpen her leadership vision and champion bold, future-ready approaches to protecting rhinos and the broader ecosystems they inhabit. A dynamic thinker and passionate advocate, Diana Marewangepo represents a new generation of African conservation professionals – grounded in science, driven by purpose, and committed to leaving a lasting legacy for wildlife and communities alike.

Richard Fynn

Professor Richard Fynn is a rangeland ecologist and conservation scientist at the University of Botswana, Okavango Research Institute (ORI), in Maun, Botswana. His work has focused on fire-plant-large herbivore interactions, the role of functional habitat heterogeneity in facilitating large herbivore foraging ecology (resource ecology) and understanding optimal livestock grazing management strategies to achieve a high cover and productivity of palatable perennial grasses. More recently, he is turning his attention to how grazing management and its effects on rangeland condition may affect biodiversity and carbon storage. Preliminary studies suggest that well managed rangelands have immense potential for conserving biodiversity and for sequestering atmospheric CO2. His rangeland management research focuses on a two-pronged approach of development of key theory and concepts required to understand optimal grazing strategies and working with innovative ranchers to practically implement best management practices and monitoring the outcomes. His research has highlighted the critical importance of nonselective grazing and year-long recovery periods to achieve best condition rangeland, where nonselective grazing is best achieved through the use of spring fire and high-density grazing. Additional, research interests are the value of indigenous breeds of cattle in African rangelands, where these cattle having been through thousands of years of natural selection in harsh African savannas, coexisting with wildlife and coping with droughts, ticks, parasites and disease, and are therefore finely adapted to African conditions. These animals require no treatment for ticks or parasites so do not negatively impact dung beetles or ox peckers, do not require supplementary feeding and are highly efficient grazers and browsers in African savannas. With their greater grazing efficiency and resilience, they are much better suited to high-density nonselective grazing practices to promote best condition rangelands. He also recognises the critical importance of transforming the beef industry from dysfunctional feedlot production to range-fed beef production, which produces a healthy, biodiversity friendly product, as opposed to the health and environmental problems of feedlot production of beef. Professor Fynn’s research bridges ecological science and community livelihoods, advancing understanding of how pastoral, agro-pastoral, and subsistence communities can coexist with wildlife through sustainable land-use systems. Apart from his work on livestock management, his work underscores that empowering local communities as custodians of nature is essential for achieving ecological sustainability and poverty alleviation across Africa’s dryland ecosystems.