Phuentsho is serving as a Biodiversity Officer at the National Herbarium, National Biodiversity Centre, Bhutan. He formerly served as a Forest Ranger at Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park and is deeply passionate about citizen science and digital innovation in biodiversity documentation. He developed Bhutan eBird, a mobile bird guide, and strongly advocates for open access to biodiversity data, believing it to be essential for effective conservation.

Sabitra Pradhan, a researcher at Bhutan’s National Mushroom Centre since 2008, holds a Bachelor’s in Agriculture and specialises in fungal biodiversity. She has conducted extensive field surveys and co-authored Fungi of Bhutan (2010) and Poisonous Mushrooms of Bhutan (2021). Her work promotes safe mushroom foraging and advances mycological research, making significant contributions to documenting and conserving Bhutan’s rich fungal diversity.

Sailendra Dewan is a researcher at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), The Himalaya Initiative. His work focuses on biodiversity conservation, landscape ecology, land-use change, and long-term ecological monitoring in the Eastern Himalaya. He has led initiatives on butterfly ecology, climate resilience agriculture while also engaging in capacity building, citizen science, and community-based conservation.

Nourin Ahosan Habib is a Consultant at EQMS Consulting Limited, Bangladesh, with over nine years of experience in ecology, biodiversity, and natural resource management. He has worked on conservation and impact assessments across Asia, Europe, and Africa, developed biodiversity management plans for major projects, and actively contributes to global ecological networks promoting biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest and nature management.

Humayra Mahmud is an Assistant Professor of Zoology at Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. With degrees in Wildlife Biology from the University of Dhaka, her research focused on avifauna in the Sundarbans. She has worked with IUCN, WildTeam, and CCA, contributing to bird monitoring, marine turtle conservation, and wildlife education, reflecting her strong commitment to conservation and research.

Binaya serves as a Research Officer at Friends of Nature Nepal. He holds a Master’s in Environmental Science from Tribhuvan University and specialises in wildlife research, conservation education, and community engagement. Passionate about birds and mammals, he focuses on integrating science and local knowledge to promote sustainable wildlife conservation and coexistence with nature.

Suman Ghimire is an Assistant Professor of Forestry at the College of Natural Resource Management, Katari (AFU, Nepal), and a former Ranger at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. His work focuses on avian ecology and biodiversity conservation, with particular emphasis on threatened vulture species and their habitats in Nepal.

Santoshi Shrestha is an Assistant Professor at the Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Her research focuses on fish taxonomy, ecology and biodiversity conservation. She has led and contributed to multiple national and international projects on freshwater ecosystem assessment and species documentation. As an active member of several scientific societies, she is committed to advancing research and capacity building in fish biodiversity management.

Ajaz Ahmed, Assistant Director in the KP Forest Department, works in Chitral’s Hindu Kush Himalaya region on restoring landscapes rich in rare flora. A dedicated researcher and author of two books and several papers, he specialises in the floral biodiversity of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, focusing on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable mountain flora management.