A PhD in sociology from University of Lucknow, India and former Visiting Fellow of Harvard University, USA, Dr. Gurung was Executive Chairman of Policy Research Institute (A Think Tank of Nepal Government). He was an honorable member of the National Planning Commission of Nepal and Vice Chairman of Social Welfare Council (apex body of Nepal government to supervise I/NGO). He also served as Chairman of CARAM Asia (Asia and Pacific level organization) based in Malaysia.

Born in the mountains of Nepal, he is a social scientist, presently active in the development of mountain areas including mountaineering and mountain tourism. He serves as advisor to the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).

Arda Odabasioglu was born in 1972 in Trabzon, Turkey. He graduated from Karadeniz Technical University Mechanical Engineering Dept. in 1995. He studied material science and graduated from the master course in 1998. He was introduced to mountains through a local mountaineering club during his university education. After graduation, he climbed several 4000-plus-metre peaks in Turkey, the Alps of Italy and France, Central Asia and the Caucasus. He specifically appreciates the opportunity to observe mountain ecosystem and culture. Arda Odabasioglu is a member of the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission and the R&D Commission of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation.

Professor Hussein Baghirov was born in 1955 in Quba Rayon, Azerbaijan. In 1978, he graduated from Baku State University with a degree in history. From 1978 to 1979, he worked at the Ministry of Education and then worked as a lecturer at the different post-graduate educational institutions.

From 1984 to 1985, he worked as a researcher and defended his Ph.D. thesis at the Academy of Sciences of USSR in Moscow. At the same year he received professorship from the Education Ministry of the USSR in 1990. Immediately after he was appointed rector of the Institute of Youth. In 1991, he established Western University in Baku. In 1998 he was awarded a Fullbright scholarship for researching and lecturing at Indiana University (United States). He served as the rector of Western University until 2000 until he was eventually appointed to the different positions in the government of Azerbaijan. Professor Baghirov is now The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Western Caspian University and Director of the Institute of Mountain Biodiversity, Landscapes, and Culture of the Western Caspian University (Which is a member of the Mountain Partnership Alliance of United Nations). Hussein Baghirov is a member of the Mountain Protection Commission of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) and a global advocate of sustainable development. He has quite a number of books and academic articles published in national and international scientific journals.

Her research is focused on environmental impacts of human activities in the World’s highest areas, predominantly in Karakorum and Hindukush. Her long-term research is related to Baltoro Glacier in the heart of the Karakorum – she is investigating its environmental state as well as the social and economic aspects of tourism in its wider area. At home she is conducting research in mountain conservation areas and is a lecturer at the Environmental College in Velenje, Slovenia. In her mountaineering career she is devoted to pure and ethical style ascents to highest elevations.

Dr. Jan Cools, research coordinator of the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Antwerp, Belgium, is passionate about the sustainable management of landscapes while also being an active mountaineer. In his academic research, he focuses on integrated water resources management, climate adaptation and sustainable development. Thereby, he integrates natural/engineering sciences with governance and social/economic sciences. He has 20 years of experience in projects for a number of international clients, including the European Commission and the United Nations. Jan has a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He is also an active mountaineer and mountain hiking guide. In 2006, he received the Austrian certificate of mountain hiking guide. He also contributed in the setting up of the UIAA approved programme in Flanders, Belgium to become Instructor Mountain Walking and Trekking (IMWT). He is also board member of the Flemish Mountaineering Federation (KBF, Belgium).

Jan Ivar Bøe is a member of Norwegian Alpine Club, and has earlier been a board member for the club. He is leading the club’s committee for the maintenance of the club’s three cottages in the Norwegian mountains. Since the late 1980 he has been climbing and ski-mountaineering, and served as a climbing instructor. In his professional life, Jan Ivar is educated in media and communications and works at the regional government, Viken County Council, where he is contributing as a special adviser with media and government relations and strategic communication planning. One of the important topics is communication on sustainable development, environmentally friendly and low emission transport in a regional context.

Maretha Alant has 25 years of experience in protected area planning and conservation management. She has climbed mountains in 18 countries and is currently the Environmental Planner for South African National Parks (SANParks) in the Garden Route and Frontier Regions. Current projects include protected area expansion, commenting on development proposal and land use planning applications in National Park buffer zones and establishing voluntary (Stewardship Agreements) mountain to sea and coastal corridors as a climate change adaptation strategy.

A long time mountaineer, photographer, and member of the Alpine Club of Canada, Mary has spent the more than a decade working as a mountain studies researcher with the Mountain Legacy Project (MLP) at the University of Victoria. With MLP she explored changes in Canada’s mountain landscapes through the world’s largest collection of systematic high-resolution historic mountain photographs (>120,000 images from 1861 to 1953) and a vast and growing collection of repeat images (>9,000 photo pairs). Mary has and continues to be involved in many aspects of mountain studies research including field work, grant writing and adjudicating, book and article writing, software development, and mountain landscape change analysis and assessment. Mary is an independent mountain studies researcher teaching professor (emerita) at the Department of Computer Science and the University of Victoria, British Colombia.

Mary is especially passionate about mountain photography and has had work appear in Discover Magazine, Canadian Geographic, and the Alpine Club of Canada’s State of the Mountains Report.

As Board Member of the Royal Dutch Alpine Club (NKBV; 2012-2021) and associate member of the NKBV Sustainability Committee, Paul has been driving the sustainability program for NKBV together with volunteers and further stakeholders with the aim to reduce or offset carbon emissions for the NKBV´s professional organisation and activity portfolio, whilst raising awareness for what members can do themselves as well.

Following his academic geography study, he took up various roles involving communications, sustainability reporting, and, more recently, environmental programs and ESG topics for his current employer, one of the largest European energy distribution companies. Paul studied geography; he and his wife live in a tiny house in the Netherlands and are passionately enjoying mountain sports in summer and winter.

Valeska was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Initially purely a hobby, Valeska’s interest in the mountains became part of her studies at college with a focus on research and environmental protection. In 2011, she started to practice rock climbing and mountaineering in both Asia and South America. Since 2013 she has been associated to Serra do Cipo Climbers Association (AESC), and to “Mineira” Climbing Association (AME), contributing to climbing development. Valeska is currently running a Working Group at AESC dedicated to trail management and minimal impact, as well as running a management plan at Baú Rocks (a noted rock site in her home state). She has also worked with local guides at Serra do Cipo to construct an association, one involved in directly combatting fires at the Serra do Cipo National Park. She also is founder of a Research Institute (www.serradical.org.br) that deals with scientific and conservation research, and scientific tourism. She also is affiliated to CEM, a state trekking club, where she lectures about environmental conservation, and performs reforestation programmes with volunteers.