"At a time that humanity is faced with the greatest challenges of climate change, severe biodiversity loss, inequality and extractive industrial expansion, prioritising socio-environmental justice, gender equality, the deep wisdom of indigenous leaders and the interconnectedness between all life on earth is vital for our future and for many generations to come. Our stories of coexistence, of compassion, and the power of collective care of one another, of the more than human world, and of all our sacred plants, land, and seas is the key to restoring planetary equilibrium, both individually and collectively. May we rise to the challenge, may we lean on each other on the journey — and may be write new stories of oneness, of being good relatives, good neighbours, and good ancestors. May this be a story of transformation, of harmony, of joy, and coexistence of all."

Greta Francesca Iori is an Ethiopian-Italian wildlife crime and conservation adviser to various African Governments, International Organisations and NGOs with extensive experience in trying to bring an end to the illegal wildlife trade across the Horn of Africa, resolve human-elephant conflict, better understand the gendered dynamics of rural communities, and organised criminal networks while encouraging more sustainable and inclusive conservation models across the African continent.

Passionately advocating against historical patterns of accumulation and dispossession in rural communities, especially for women and girls, Greta stands firm in hoping to break barriers and move away from dominant and often ineffective conservation structures and instead cultivate scalable systems which dismantle deeply engrained forms of spatial injustice for both people and wildlife.

Heading the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation’s (EPIF)’s program development and Human-Elephant Conflict work across 24 African Member states and between Africa and Asia, she hopes to continue to champion compassionate and nuanced systems change including the vital dialogues, stories and collaboration required to enable socio-environmentally just and climate resilient future for all living things.