Dr Andrew Chilombo is a Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Specialist. Since 2009, he has been working with different institutions (including the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank Group, Adaptation Fund, UNEP, UNDP, FAO, AfDB, REC Caucasus) and NGOs on natural resources management and climate change projects in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). He has professional experience in project development and implementation technical skills, and the ability to build and manage strategic partnerships with development partners in different country contexts.

He has been designing and managing natural resources and climate change-related projects in SSA; mainstreaming them in development strategies and practices by working with international organisations, governments, NGOs and local communities. He has led inter-agency partnerships to develop climate change, biodiversity and land degradation-related projects in SSA. He has hand-on experience in conducting stakeholder consultations at national, regional and community levels to reflect different perspectives and priorities in project designs. He has professional level of written and spoken French and Swahili. Andrew holds a PhD Geography (University of Edinburgh, UK); an MSc Environmental Governance (Freiburg University, Germany); a BSc Agroforestry (Copperbelt University, Zambia); and a BA Philosophy (Urbaniana University, Italy).

Dr Brian P. Mulenga holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics, from Oklahoma State University, U.S.A, and is currently Research Fellow at IAPRI. Brian has nearly 10 years of research experience in policy research and analysis most of it in the agricultural, environmental and natural resources and social protection space. Brian's work draws from economic theory, and applies econometrics, statistics, and qualitative methods to demonstrate the agriculture-environment-natural resources nexus and the impact thereof on economic development and rural livelihoods. Brian conducts action-oriented research aimed at enhancing smallholder farmers participation in both domestic and export markets.

Brian's research extends to market risk mitigation mechanisms that are home-grown and tailor-made for smallholder farmers. Brian has led research on climate change and natural resources management in Zambia under USAID's Bureau for Food Security to determine the impact of climate change on smallholder agricultural productivity. Brian has also worked with Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) to review and assess the impacts of CDKN's knowledge products on climate change policy and research agenda in Africa. Brian has a traceable peer review publication record and high-level policy presentation. Brian is highly proficient in the use of statistical packages including Stata, R, and SPSS, among others.

Dr Hambulo Ngoma is a Research Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management, Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), Lusaka, Zambia. Hambulo Ngoma is a Development Economist with expertise in agricultural, climate change, environmental and natural resource economics.

His current research and policy engagements span the development-environmental nexus and include sustainable agricultural transformation, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable management of natural resources mainly land and forestry, REDD+, deforestation and climate resilience. Hambulo holds a PhD in Economics from the School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, an MSc in Applied and Agricultural Economics from the University of Malawi and a BSc in Agricultural Economics from the University of Zambia.

Lilly is a chartered accountant. She holds an MSc in Accounting from Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and a full ACCA. She has practiced accounting since 2007. Lilly has worked for government, privately owned institutions and NGOs. Lilly served as treasury accountant for AAC mining and as Accountant for Times of Zambia. She has also served as accountant for non-governmental organisations such as Proclamation Institute of Zambia.

Dr Moses Chibesa is an ecologist with experience, interest and working knowledge in wildlife ecology, forestry and the conservation of vertebrates. He holds a BSc in Forestry from The Copperbelt University (Zambia), an MSc in Wildlife Management and Conservation from the University of Reading (United Kingdom) and a PhD in Ecology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).

Since 2007 to date, He has been involved in many Environmental Consultancy Projects ranging from Agricultural, Forestry, Mining, Water and Sanitation and Dam Construction. His role in these projects has been mainly sampling terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and community engagement.

As such, his understanding, working knowledge and ultimately the execution of projects that require Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), Strategic and Environmental Assessments (SEA) and Environment Project Briefs (EPBs) has undoubtedly been enriched over the years.

He is a qualified ringer with a ringing certificate offered by the Animal Demographics Unit of the University of Cape Town and He has ringed over 5000 birds consisting of slightly over 300 species. He is a fully paid-up member of Birdlife South Africa and BirdWatch Zambia. Besides, He has been championing the sustainable use and protection of the environment by ensuring that developers adhere to and comply with good environmental practices as prescribed in Zambia’s Environmental Management Act (2011) which is enforced by Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). He is competent with field techniques of surveying flora and fauna (terrestrial and aquatic) where the objectives are primarily to obtain information on rare, data deficiency and threatened species, and to provide accurate identification of these species.

His definitive goals are:

1. To provide informed and consistent scientific information on African vertebrates and plants that could be used for long-term conservation
2. To champion fair trading practices in wildlife and forest products (trophies, meat, timber and non-timber forest products) by ensuring that buyers and sellers comply with set international standards, practices and regulations, especially on endangered species of flora and fauna
3. To share his passion and knowledge with students, colleagues and the general public on Zambia's wildlife and vegetation.

Dr. Darius Phiri is geospatial expert with over 10 years consultancy and research experience in natural resource management. He has a PhD in Applied Remote Sensing with a specific focus on large area monitoring using open access tool and freely available datasets. Dr Phiri’s research and consultancy work focuses on image process, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/Drones), geospatial and statistical modelling using open access tools such R statistical software, Google Engine and QGIS.

He has worked on different research and consultancy projects as a geospatial resources expert in charge of data management, image analysis, GIS data collection and GNSS (GPS) navigation. He has worked as a consultant for FAO, Trident Foundation, Kagem Mines and COMACO among many others. Darius has experience conducting environmental impact and socioeconomic assessments, biodiversity assessments, forest management plans and project documents for carbon trading. Additionally, he is also trained in project development and management.

Mr. Humphrey Kaoma holds an MSc in Environmental Science from Rhodes University, South Africa and a BSc in Agroforestry from the Copperbelt University, Zambia. With extensive experience working with NGOs, he has promoted climate-smart agriculture, including agroforestry, conservation farming, organic farming, IPM, small livestock production and vegetable cultivation. His efforts extend to restoring degraded lands, establishing community forests, and managing them sustainably. Mr. Kaoma advocates for energy-saving stoves, beekeeping for forest conservation, environmental education and tree planting. In academia, he has taught agroforestry systems, plant physiology, sociology and agricultural extension. As a research assistant for Environsmart Solutions, he has conducted qualitative and quantitative research, including ecological and social surveys. His consultancy work encompasses biodiversity and livelihood assessments, and climate change, contributing to forest management plans and livelihood manuals. Mr. Kaoma’s expertise and commitment significantly enhance sustainable environmental practices and community resilience.

Moirah Mwewa is an environmentalist with a strong background in sustainable management and environmental conservation practices. She holds a degree in Plant and Environmental Science and has developed various skills to apply sustainable approaches to forest and environmental practices. Her expertise encompasses forest and environmental protection and management, and climate change mitigation. Since 2021, Moirah has been working with different institutions and has participated in various environmental conservation activities. Her work includes technical writing, climate risk assessments, biodiversity assessments, and reviews. She has collaborated with various organizations, including IAPRI, WWF, COMACO, Weforest, AfDB, and IISD in natural resources management and conservation. Moirah has conducted socio-economic and ecological assessments for projects in agriculture, biodiversity, and climate change.

Mphatso Tembo is a dedicated professional in the field of climate change and environmental management. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pure Biology with his skill set in Biodiversity and Ecology (Copperbelt University) and is currently pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Climate Change and sustainable development at The Copperbelt University. In 2023, Mphatso attained a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation at the University of Zambia.

Since 2021, Mphatso has been a valuable team member at Envirosmart Solutions Consultancy Company, starting as an intern and later being confirmed as a Research Associate in 2022. He has participated in numerous projects which include an end line evaluation for WeForest in Luanshya on the Copperbelt, a socio-economic assessment on the Lualaba and Bushingwe National Reserve forests in Kalumbila, developing an Ecosystem-based adaptation training manual for the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, conducted a study on green business, green jobs, and green skills for soybeans in Malawi and leather in Zambia for Solidaridad Network, develop a joint forest management plan for Katanino forest reserve, conduct a climate risk assessment for the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) and conduct a biodiversity assessment in Mumbwa and Itezi Tezi for COMACO Zambia.

Through these roles, Mphatso has developed a strong foundation in environmental assessments, climate risk evaluations, and the implementation of sustainable development projects. His commitment to advancing climate resilience and sustainable practices is evident in his work and contributions to various national and regional initiatives.