Our People

Bihini is one of the Congo Basin Programme affiliates based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He is a trained vet with a degree in applied environment and biology and a certificate in elephant capture and domestication from Wildlife School of India.

He has over 30 years of experience in Africa with a focus on the DRC and other Congo Basin countries. His career began with protected areas management and project development before he undertook regional and international work for more than two decades with various conservation organisations, notably the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) where he held several positions including Pan-African Co-ordinator of the Sustainable Use Initiative and Director for the Central African Regional Program. He worked with German development agency GIZ as a Regional Technical Advisor and later the Regional Head of the Support Programme to the Central African Forest Commission.
Bihini is one of the founding members of the Conference of the Central African Moist Forest Ecosystems (CEFDHAC), a multi-stakeholder platform to encourage Central African countries to conserve and sustainably use their forest ecosystems. He was awarded an honorary doctorate for his distinguished career in natural resources and ecosystems management in Central Africa.

Dr Grace Iara Souza is a professional learner who has dedicated the past 18 years to learning about socio-environmental conservation related to Brazil from a global perspective, while also engaging with knowledge sharing with multiple stakeholders. She started her career implementing carbon credit projects in the bioenergy sector in Brazil, migrating to a deeper understanding of the impacts of global environmental governance and social policies to local rainforest defenders in the Brazilian Amazon. Grace’s academic training is rooted in Political Ecology. Her professional experience includes project management for educational, private, and charity sectors, teaching in higher education and researching environmental conservation and development.

Julie has more than 13 years of experience in the monitoring and evaluation of development projects, particularly with a gender equality and community-led focus, and has worked for several international organisations including the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). She holds a master’s degree in Natural Resources Management and another master’s degree in Anthropology Development and Environment. She also participated in the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) in Ottawa, 2013.

Julie has developed and implemented a system of monitoring and evaluation which focuses on gender analysis of international projects. She has helped develop business development courses for local communities, with a focus on women and Indigenous communities.

As the Gender Focal Point for the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), she has worked on the development of the COMIFAC gender strategy, a document validated in 2016 by COMIFAC Ministries.

Merline Touko Tchoko is an expert communicator with experience working in several countries in Africa and Europe. She graduated with a first in her Communications undergraduate degree and went on to gain a master’s degree in Natural Resources Development and Management.

She began her career as a journalist and gradually worked in several radio stations and television channels, which developed her skills in radio and video production. Several training courses in audiovisual editing, directing and scriptwriting enabled her to acquire expertise in video production, newsletter editing, website development, and social network management. She is also an author of documents, novels, books, short stories, and series.

Merline Touko has worked for several international research and sustainable management institutions including the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Swetha Stotra Bhashyam, a wildlife biologist by training, has dedicated the past 12 years to empowering and mobilising youth to take action for biodiversity.

Serving as the Global South Focal Point for the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) from 2018 to 2023, she has played a pivotal role in representing and amplifying the voices of youth in the Global South. In 2022, Swetha was appointed as the Chair of the IUCN CEESP Inter-generational Partnerships and young professional groups.

With over 11 years of experience collaborating with grassroots and international organizations, Swetha has been instrumental in building a powerful youth movement for biodiversity.

She has supported the establishment of 50 regional and national chapters for GYBN, enabling youth across the globe to come together and make a significant impact.

Driven by her passion, Swetha advocates for policy and advocacy changes under the UN system, with a special focus on the Convention on Biological Diversity.