Food Systems and Biodiversity in the Context of Environmental and Climate Risks : Dynamics and Evolving Solutions

Dr. Mohamed Behnassi is a Senior Environmentalist Expert at the Economic Social & Environmental Council (CESE) in Rabat, Morocco. From 2004 to 2022, he served as a professor and head of the Public Law Department at Ibn Zohr University, where he also directed the Research Laboratory for Territorial Governance, Human Security, and Sustainability. He holds a Ph.D. in International Environmental Law and Governance, along with advanced degrees in political science and international relations. Dr. Behnassi is the Founding Director of the Center for Environment, Human Security, and Governance (CERES), the Vice-GS of the Moroccan Society for International Law (MSIL), and has been involved in numerous international research projects, providing expertise in areas such as climate change, food security, and human security. He has published 66 scientific papers and 22 books and contributed as a lead author to significant reports, including the first MEDECC assessment on climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean. He also serves as an expert for various organizations like the UNFCCC and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Behnassi offers consultancy on sustainability and human rights in global supply chains and regularly participates in national and international conferences and scientific evaluations.

Dr. Mirza Barjees Baig is a Professor at the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water, and Desert Research, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. He earned his MS degree in International Agricultural Extension in 1992 from the Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA, and was placed on the ‘Roll of Honor’. He completed his Ph.D. in Extension for Natural Resource Management from the University of Idaho, USA, and was honored with the ‘1995 outstanding graduate student award’. Dr. Baig has published extensively on the issues associated with natural resources in national and international journals. He has also made oral presentations about agriculture and natural resources and the role of extension education at various international conferences. Food waste, water management, degradation of natural resources, deteriorating environment, and their relationship with society/community are his areas of interest. He has attempted to develop strategies to conserve natural resources, promote the environment and develop sustainable communities. Dr. Baig started his scientific career in 1983 as a researcher at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan. He served at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada as the Special Graduate Faculty from 2000–2005. He served as a Foreign Professor at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan through the Higher Education Commission from 2005–2009. He served as a Professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Society at the King SaudUniversity, Saudi Arabia from 2009–2020. He serves as well on the Editorial Boards of many international journals and is a member of many international professional organizations.

Dr. Himangana Gupta is Research Fellow and Academic Associate at United Nations University – Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). She is an expert in climate change and biodiversity policy and has worked on climate adaptation, forestry, women and climate change, energy efficiency, and national GHG inventories. She was also a part of the National Communication Cell of the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from 2016-2019, and contributed to India’s Second and Third Biennial Update Reports to the UNFCCC. She is a certified expert in climate adaptation finance. She has seven edited books to her credit and more than 40 research publications, including book chapters. Currently, she is also serving as Lead Author for the Nexus Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Dr. Rachid Sabbahi is a professor at the Higher School of Technology – Laayoune, Ibn Zohr University, Morocco, since 2019. He completed a B.Sc. in Animal Biology at University of Hassan II (Casablanca, Morocco), a M.Sc. (2003) and a Ph.D. (2008) in Biological Sciences at Quebec University (Montreal, Canada). Dr. Sabbahi specializes in biological control of insect pests and plant diseases, plant-microbe interaction, environmental microbial biotechnology, and insect pollination and crop production. In addition, Dr. Sabbahi has co-managed many research projects both nationally and internationally, published several scientific papers and participated in many international conferences.

Dr.Gitanjali Nain Gill is a tenured Full Professor of environmental law at the Faculty of Law, Northumbria University, Newcastle UK. Her research interests and published work in leading peer- reviewed journals form a coherent body reflecting thematic issues such as access to environmental justice, climate change, biodiversity, SDGs, sustainability, and governance in Asia with a focus on India. Dr. Gill is a recipient of two prestigious British Academy/ Leverhulme Research Grants. The first, 2013-16, examined the casework and environmental jurisprudence of the National Green Tribunal of India and the findings were published in her book Environmental Justice in India: The National Green Tribunal(Routledge, Earthscan). The second, 2020-23, is titled “Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Vulnerable Poor Communities: Criticalities and Scrutiny of Law in Gujarat, India”. In 2019, she was granted a GCRF Networking and Collaboration Fund award to undertake original empirical research in India on scientific uncertainty and the precautionary principle. She acts as an external referee for numerous leading publishers and journals. She has held Visiting Professorships at several universities including the Vermont Law School, USA; Department of Comparative Law, University of Insubria, Como, Italy; Law School, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China; Charles University Prague; Symbiosis Law School, Noida India; and Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University UK.

Dr. Mahjoub El Haiba is a distinguished expert in human rights, international law, and environmental law, currently serving as a member of the UN Human Rights Committee. A professor at Hassan II University, Casablanca, since 1983 and a lecturer at Mohamed V University, Rabat, he holds a State Doctorate in Public Law and Political Science. As Morocco’s First Inter-ministerial Delegate for Human Rights (2011–2018), he led key national reports for the UN’s Universal Periodic Review and human rights treaty bodies. He previously served as Secretary General of the Advisory Council on Human Rights and was a key figure in Morocco’s transitional justice process. Dr. El Haiba is a founding member of the Moroccan Human Rights Organization (OMDH) and the Moroccan Society for Environmental Law (SOMADE). He has advised UNEP and FAO on environmental policy and has been actively involved in international human rights and environmental governance. A prolific author and speaker, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Morocco’s legal frameworks and global engagement in these fields.