Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility

Yolanda Kakabadse was Chairperson of STAP for the last year of GEF-3 and was instrumental in reforming STAP during GEF-4 culminating in the revised Mandate and Terms of Reference for STAP, adopted in June 2007.

Yolanda Kakabadse is a native of Ecuador and served as Minister of Environment for the Republic of Ecuador from August 1998 until January 2000. Ms. Kakabadse served as NGO Liaison Officer for the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit) in 1992, coordinating the participation of civil society organizations in the conference. Former President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) (1996 - 2004).

In 1979 she was appointed Executive Director of Fundacion Natura in Quito, where she worked until 1990. Ms. Kakabadse helped Fundacion Natura become one of Latin America's most important environmental organizations through the development of important processes for Ecuadorian society and the international community. In 1993 she founded Fundacion Futuro Latinoamericano, an NGO she served as Executive President until 2007 and is now its Senior Adviser. Fundacion Futuro Latinoamericano designs and organizes policy dialogues on sustainable development among decision makers in Latin American. She chaired the Scientific and Technology Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility (STAP / GEF) from 2005 to 2008.

Ms. Kakabadse is a Trustee of the Ford Foundation and President of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) International from January 2010.

Prof. Michael Stocking is Emeritus Professor of Natural Resources Development, School of International Development, University of East Anglia, UK.  Formerly Vice-Chair of STAP and Panel Member for Land Degradation, Prof. Stocking remains a STAP Consultant.Prof. Stocking also works for the Overseas Development Group on a number of projects for various agencies, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (Rome), the United Nations University (Tokyo) and the Swiss National Science Foundation.His professional interests are in the conservation and management of renewable natural resources (such as soil, vegetation, water and land) in developing countries. He developed a new strategy on 'land degradation' and 'sustainable land management' for the Global Environment Facility. Related projects include indicators and assessment techniques for land degradation, and developing a 'carbon tracking tool' for natural resource projects.  Prof. Stocking's current and recent external appointments are:

• Vice-Chair and Panel Member, Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel, Global Environment Facility, 2006-2009. Responsible for scientific oversight of GEF’s focal area of ‘land degradation’ and Operational program 15 ‘sustainable land management’ 
• Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee to CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical), Cali, Colombia and the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute, Nairobi, Kenya (2003-2007)
• Chair, Programme Advisory Committee, Conservation and Sustainable Management of Below-Ground Biodiversity, TSBF-CIAT project for UNEP-GEF, 2003-2009
• Senior Programme Advisor for Land Management to the United Nations University, Tokyo (2003-2007)
• Member, International Scientific Advisory Board, Swiss National Science Foundation, Berne – Research Partnerships in International Co-operation.  (2003-2012)
• Member, Steering Committee, Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands, for FAO, Rome (2004-2010)
• Member, Steering Committee, Sustainable Land Management in the High Pamir and Pamir-Alai Mountains, for UNU, Tokyo (2005-2009)
• Natural Resources Adviser,  Hillsides Production Systems (Bolivia, Nepal, Uganda), for the UK Department for International Development (1999-2006)

link:
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcec

Paul Ferraro is Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, and World Wildlife Fund Senior Science Fellow, 2006-present. Dr. Ferraro’s research focuses on the design and evaluation of cost-effective environmental policies and institutions with an emphasis on biodiversity protection, and also the use of experiments to study human behaviour and decision-making. He is interested in communicating to both economists and conservation practitioners and is working on applying experimental and quasi-experimental program evaluation methods to conservation interventions. 

Dr Ferraro received his PhD in economics from Cornell University.  He also holds a BA in biology and history, and an MS in economics, from Duke University.  He was a collaborating author on the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and his research appears in journals such as Conservation Biology, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Land Economics, PLoS Biology, Science and Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

Bo A. Wahlström is former Senior International Advisor to the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate, Sundbyberg, Sweden, and has a part-time assignment to the Inspectorate. Dr. Wahlström has been with the Inspectorate since its establishment in January 1986 and has held various management positions in chemicals risk assessment and management. During 1998-2004 he was Senior Scientific Officer in the Chemicals Branch of the UNEP DTIE office and in that position responsible for the development of the elements of the POPs Review Committee during the negotiations for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent organic Pollutants as well as the effectiveness evaluation of the convention. He was extensively involved as the Swedish Head of delegation in the development of the OECD Existing Chemicals Programme as well as other parts of the OECD Chemicals Programme, for which he also served as chair 1996-1998.  He is a Member of the Swedish Society of Toxicology since 1977 and served in its Board 1987-93, and as its president during 1990-91.

Dr Wahlström holds PhD, MSc and BSc degrees from the University of Göteborg, Sweden. He is  associate professor at the university and has led research in physiology and toxicology and was a member of the Environmental Research Council at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 1989-97 and its Vice-President 1991- 97.

Dr Mary K. Seely is a former Executive Director (1990 – 2006) of the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia now Associate, Desert Research Foundation, and has for 40 years lived and worked in that country, publishing 160 papers and contributing to 20 books on desertification, environmental change and livelihoods in southern Africa.  Dr Seely is a Member of the National Planning Commission, Namibia, and was until 2004 a member of the President’s Vision 2030 Core Team, and holds and has held a number of official advisory positions with various government departments and their commissions concerned with desertification, water supply, planning, education and outreach.

During 40 years of research and training in ecology and environmental science, Dr Seely co-supervised over 50 MSc and PhD degrees in arid zone ecology and environmental topics and she organised and contributed to training programmes for the University of Namibia, Polytechnic of Namibia, four Colleges of Education of Namibia and varied international educational groups.

Dr Seely has advised several GEF-related agencies, including UNDP, UNEP and African Development Bank, has published work on indicators and their use for desertification monitoring and UNCCD implementation in southern Africa, and has advised on the challenge of connecting scientific research with community action.

Nteranya Sanginga Advisor on Land Degradation, January - June 2011