Speakers

Dr. Nabil Assaf

Mr. Assaf, a Lebanese national, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry and two Master’s degrees—one in Ecology/Natural Resources Management from the National School of Forestry Engineering in Morocco, and another in Forest Systems and Products from the University of Lleida, Spain. In 2008, he became a Ph.D. candidate in Forestry Biogeography and Land Use Management at Sorbonne University, Paris. He joined the FAO in 2010 as a Forestry Officer at the Subregional Office for North Africa in Tunis, Tunisia, and served as FAO Representative in Algeria from 2011 to June 2020. His career began in 1997 as a Site Manager for a project protecting Lebanon’s green cover, funded by the EU, the French National Office of Forests, and Lebanon's Ministry of Agriculture. Between 1999 and 2005, he worked as a Forestry Consultant for the EU and an Italian NGO on agricultural rehabilitation in Southern Lebanon. He headed the Forestry, Soil, and Water Department at the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute from 2000 to 2003, and served as a Team Leader/Forestry Officer at the Ministry of Environment in Beirut from 2003 to 2010. Concurrently, from 2007 to 2010, he was the Technical Coordinator for Lebanon for a sustainable forestry management project by the International Spanish Cooperation Agency and the Forest Technology Center of Catalonia. He also taught at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

Dr. Errol Vela

University of Montpellier, France. Dr. Errol Vela is a teacher in Mediterranean botany, ecology and climatology. His researches and field of expertise are the inventory, taxonomy and conservation of vascular flora.

Pr. Adel Ben Youssef

University Côte d'Azur,France. Dr.BEN YOUSSEF is a Professor in Economics at the Université Côte d'Azur and a member of the CNRS research laboratory (GREDEG - CNR UMR 7321), researcher fellow at the ERF and GLO and visiting professor in more than 12 international universities. He is an international expert in twin digital and green transitions for many international institutions. He is an expert on digitalization, who conducted several important studies. In addition, he was a negotiator during the COP 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28 (2017 - 2018 - 2019-2021-2022-2023) on behalf of Tunisia in terms of climate finance. He has participated in the facilitation of around a hundred workshops and was involved in the coordination committee or in the scientific committee of more than 50 scientific and cultural events. He has published more than 100 academic papers in different journals.

Dr. Ali Belayachi

PRIMEVIVE Technologies Canada Inc, Canada . Dr. Belayachi has pursued medical studies at the medical faculty of Oran - Algeria, followed by further research in experimental medicine in Canada, specializing in pathological angiogenesis. His expertise in cell culture led him to investigate the effects of argan oil on various human cell types for innovative therapy. He has earned his MBA at ESG UQAM, facilitating his entrepreneurial journey with the Montreal-based incubator, Groupe 3737. This path ultimately led him to become the founding president of two companies: Primevives Technologies in Canada and Proteinov in Mostaganem, Algeria.

Dr. Miguel Quel Benedicto

University of Valencia, Spain. Dr. QUEL BENEDICTO has initially trained in Psychiatry and later pursued studies in psychosomatics, psychotherapy, and complementary medicines, particularly focusing on phytotherapy. Currently, he works in the Epidemiological Studies and Information Section of the Epidemiological Studies and Surveillance of Non-Communicable Diseases Service, specifically dealing with Rare Diseases, within the General Subdirectorate of Epidemiology and Health Surveillance of the General Directorate of Public Health.

Dr. Gerardo Stubing

University of Valencia, Spain. Dr. Gerardo Stubing Born in Valencia 1957. Doctor in Pharmacy at the University of Valencia and Doctor in Fine Arts at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He has been a professor of Botany at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Valencia since 1980, teaching subjects related to Botany, Phytotherapy and Medicinal Plants. Director of the first University master's degree in Complementary Medicines (8 editions) at the University of Valencia. Director of the Department of Botany at the University of Valencia for 14 years. Corresponding academic of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy and the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Valencian Community. Founding and full academician of the Academy of Pharmacy of the Valencian Community, of which he is currently its president. He has published more than 20 books and more than 100 scientific articles related to various lines of research: Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Environmental management, Phytosociology, Visual ecocriticism and Experimental photography. Likewise, he has held more than 50 national and international exhibitions. Member of the most prestigious scientific associations in the field of Botany, such as the Linnean Society. For 15 years he has been committed to the conservation of biodiversity and the fight against climate change through visual Ecocriticism, a concept that seeks to raise awareness in society through aesthetic appreciation of nature. Likewise, he develops a line of work focused on Andalusian medicine (Xarq al-Ándalus) and the relationship between the Amazigh culture and the Canarian aboriginal culture in relation to ethnobotany.

Dr. Tania Re

University of Genoa, Italy. Dr. RE olds degrees in Clinical and Community Psychology, specializing in Gestalt Psychotherapy and complementary therapy. She is a pioneer in Health Anthropology and Ethnomedicine, co-founding UNESCO Chairs at Genoa and Salerno Universities. She teaches and conducts field research globally, focusing on traditional medicines and mind-body connections. Her recent research explores therapeutic use of "master plants" and psychotropic substances.

Pr Tara F. Deubel

University of South Florida. USA.Tara F. Deubel is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She received her doctorate from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include gender and family law, migration and refugees, language and performance, and African and Middle Eastern Studies. She has worked in the Sahara and Sahel regions of West and North Africa for over twenty years in urban and rural communities and co-edited Saharan Crossroads: Exploring Historical, Cultural and Artistic Linkages between North and West Africa. She is currently doing research on sub-Saharan African migrant populations in Morocco and indigenous Amazigh women’s argan oil production in the Agadir region.