Dr Russell MITTERMEIER

Chief Conservation Officer, Re:wild

Russell A. Mittermeier is currently Chief Conservation Officer of Re:wild.  Named a “Hero for the Planet” by TIME magazine in 1999 and the recipient of the prestigious Indianapolis Prize for Wildlife Conservation in 2018, Mittermeier is widely regarded as a world leader in the field of biodiversity and tropical forest conservation.  Trained as a primatologist and herpetologist, he has traveled widely to 169 countries on seven continents and has conducted field work in more than 30. He served as a Regional Councillor from 2004 – 2012 and a Vice-President from 2008 -2012, has been a member of the Steering Committee of the Species Survival Commission since the early 1980s, and is the long-time Chair of the SSC Primate Specialist Group.  His work also highlights the importance of nature-based solutions to climate change and particularly the critical role of tropical forests protection and restoration.