IUCN SSC Tapir Specialist Group

Juliana Vélez is a wildlife ecologist and a current postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University. She holds a degree in Biology from the Universidad de los Andes and a PhD in Conservation Sciences from the University of Minnesota. Her research integrates wildlife ecology with statistical modeling to understand species-habitat associations in disturbed ecosystems, with a particular focus on tapir conservation. Juliana's work engages with decision-makers to address conservation challenges in agricultural lands, proposing land management changes supported by quantitative approaches for effective ecosystem preservation strategies. She adheres to open science standards and contributes to online resources for reproducible research, including guides, datasets, and code for ecological data processing using AI. Her work has received multiple recognitions, including the Fulbright Scholarship, the WWF Russell E. Train - Education for Nature Fellowship, and a predoctoral fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to her passion for finding solutions to reduce ecosystem degradation and improve wildlife habitats, she mentors and supports women interested in conservation sciences.

Senior Lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia with over 25 years of experience in environmental education, conservation, and community engagement. With a professional foundation in community-based environmental organizations prior to academia, her work bridges practice and research. Her expertise centers on experiential environmental learning, youth capacity building, biodiversity conservation, and human–wildlife interaction, with particular emphasis on Malayan tapir conservation. She actively contributes to national and international conservation policy development and capacity-building initiatives.

Patrícia Medici is a Brazilian conservationist whose main professional interests are tapir conservation, tropical forest conservation, landscape ecology, and communication. Patrícia has a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry Sciences from the São Paulo University (USP - Universidade de São Paulo), a Master's Degree in Wildlife Ecology, Conservation and Management from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais), Brazil, and a Ph.D. Degree in Biodiversity Management from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, United Kingdom. For the past 28 years, Patrícia has been working for a Brazilian non-governmental organization called IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (Institute for Ecological Research) of which she was one of the founding members. Since 1996, Patrícia coordinates the Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative (LTCI) and dedicates her life to the conservation of tapirs and their remaining habitats in Brazil. Since 2000, Patrícia has been the Chairperson of the IUCN SSC Tapir Specialist Group (TSG), a network of over 130 tapir conservationists from 27 different countries worldwide. Patrícia is a TED Fellow since 2014 and a National Geographic Explorer since 2019. She has been honored with several prestigious conservation awards: Harry Messel Conservation Leadership Award from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (2004); Future for Nature Award from the Future for Nature Foundation in the Netherlands (2008); Whitley Award from the Whitley Fund for Nature in the United Kingdom (2008); Columbus Zoo Commitment to Conservation Award (2017); William G. Conway International Conservation Award - Significant Achievement (2018); National Geographic Society / Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation (2019); and, Whitley Gold Award from the Whitley Fund for Nature in the United Kingdom (2020).