Melissa Nursey-Bray
Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray, is from the Departmentof Geography, Environment and Population (GEP), at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
Her work investigates the connection between people and the environment and focusses on how to engage communities to be part of environmental decision making, particularly in the context of climate change and biodiversity protection. In this capacity she has worked with Indigenous, ports, local government and fishing communities on a range of projects. These projects have examined how conflict, social and cultural values, knowledge, social learning and perceptions affect how people become involved in or help drive environmental sustainability.
Her most recent work explores how different communities can adapt to climate change including the development of adaptation strategies with Indigenous peoples. Melissa is the Convenor of the Adaptation, Community and Environment Research Group (ACE) which focusses on engaging communities in building their capacity to respond to change. Melissa obtained her PhD from James Cook University, and now has over 110 publications including 2 books, and many chapters and articles on climate change and Indigenous resource management respectively.
Lun Yin
Prof. & Dr. Lun YIN is the founder and director of the Climate Action SDG Laboratory (CASLab), he is Ethno-Ecologist of Bai ethnic minority background in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China. Dr. Lun YIN is the professor of the Center for Ecological Civilization, Southwest Forestry University in China, and director of Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous knowledge (CBIK). Dr. Lun YIN is the Indigenous and traditional knowledge Consultant of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES; Senior expert in indigenous knowledge of United Nations Officefor Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR.
Dr. Lun YINs major field of interests is the Traditional Knowledge among the indigenous peoples and local communities around the world which links with biodiversity and climate change, his work is dedicated to the adaptation and resilience of climate change in support of sustainable livelihoods of the indigenous peoples and local communities. He undertakes several action projects and scientific researches together with indigenous peoples and local communities which focus on biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and climate change, and in partnership with other governmental, non-governmental and research agencies, and is committed to serving as a bridge between traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge, local communities and policy makers in order to improve decision-making that affects climate change adaption and biodiversity conservation. His work stresses the importance of basing conservation and development interventions on the traditional knowledge and cultural assets of indigenous peoples and local communities.
Ann Marie Chischilly
Ms Chischilly is currently Vice President of Northern Arizona University, but prior to that was the Executive Director at the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP). She is responsible for managing ITEP's work with Northern Arizona University, state and federal agencies, tribes and Alaska Native villages. In 2017, ITEP celebrated 25 years serving over 95% of all the 573 Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages nationwide.
Ms. Chischilly currently serves on several federal advisory committees including the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) National Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment (Now the Independent Advisory Committee on the Sustained National Climate Assessment) and EPAs National Safe Drinking Water Council. From 2013 to 2015, Ms. Chischilly also served on Department of Interiors Advisory on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science.
Ms. Chischilly speaks both nationally and internationally on topics of Indian Law, Environmental Law, Tradition Knowledges, Water Law and Tribes/Indigenous Peoples. She works with the United Nations on issues of the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and co-wrote, Guidelines for the Use of Traditional Knowledge in Climate Change Initiatives.
Before coming to ITEP, she served for over ten years as Senior Assistant General Counsel to the Gila River Indian Community (Community), where she assisted the Community in implementing the historic Arizona Water Settlement Act and founded the Communitys Renewable Energy Team. Ms. Chischilly is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Dine). She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from St.Mary's University School of Law and a Masters in Environmental Law (LL.M) from Vermont Law School. She is licensed in Arizona and has practiced in state, district, and federal courts. She is also a member of the International Bar Association.
Phillip Rist
Mr Rist is a widely respected Nywaigi Indigenous leader whose skill and determination has played a key role in establishing the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation as one of the most successful Indigenous community-based organisations in Australia. He was first elected as the first chairman of the Girringun Elders and Reference Group and is still actively involved as Executive Officer of the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, the modern day version of the original reference group. Phil is an exceptionally accomplished negotiator who has led Girringun through all the different programs it now leads, and instigated of their inception via hisunwavering and unswerving belief in his people and culture. Over the last twenty decades he has led the development of co-management arrangements which protect culture and country along the World heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, set up Traditional Use Marine Resource Agreements and Indigenous Protected Areas. He was also co-theme leader of the Climate Change Leaders group as part of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility and continues to play an active role in embedding Indigenous voices in environmental governance, as well as building knowledge partnerships.
Robert Palmer
Rob Palmer is a communications enthusiast with a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Adelaide and a Graduate Diploma of Public Relations from Deakin University. Rob was the communications lead on several climate change adaptation projects, including two major projects aimed at identifying how to improve climatechange adaptation communications that target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This has helped him to develop specific expertise in this field and he has co-authored several academic peer reviewed journal articles on the subject. 