GEO BON is pleased to announce the appointment of two new co-chairs, Alice Hughes and Haigen Xu, who will join the leadership team in advancing the network’s mission of improving biodiversity monitoring worldwide.
Alice and Haigen will join María-Cecilia Londoño and Andrew Gonzlaez in implementing GEO BON’s initiatives, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing global biodiversity data accessibility.
The new co-chairs bring a wealth of expertise and experience in biodiversity science, policy, and conservation. Their contributions will be instrumental in fostering new collaborations, developing innovative approaches to biodiversity observation, and ensuring GEO BON remains at the forefront of global biodiversity data integration.
Alice Hughes is currently an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong and has over 16 years experience working in the Asia-Pacific region. Her work focuses on patterns of biodiversity and drivers of biodiversity change, as well as understanding the availability and representativeness of data to develop priorities and monitor change. She is an active member of Asia-Pacific BON, working collaboratively across the region to facilitate research, build capacity and mobilise data. Alice is looking forward to working with all GEO BON members to make science matter, helping to ensure we have the science we need, where it is needed to impact on biodiversity monitoring and conservation across scales.
Haigen Xu, Professor of the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, affiliated to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, is a member of the GEO BON Implementation Committee and played an important role in the development of China BON. Haigen is happy to take on this new role to provide better services for GEO BON members, BONs, and enhance GEO BON’s linkages, impacts and roles among scientific communities. He is eager to support the development of the global biodiversity observing system and support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The appointment of these additional co-chairs marks an exciting step forward in GEO BON’s mission to bridge gaps in biodiversity monitoring and facilitate data-driven conservation efforts. Their added roles will reinforce the needs of our growing network, and compliment and provide new perspectives to the growing responsibilities of our co-chairs.
Please join us in welcoming Alice Hughes and Haigen Xu!
We look forward to their leadership and vision in strengthening global biodiversity observation efforts.