Transformative change and great restoration don’t happen in isolation. Restoration requires collaboration, knowledge-sharing and guidance to help bold ideas take root. That’s why mentorship is central to the Restoration Stewards program. Run by the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), the Restoration Stewards program helps emerging young leaders gain the confidence and connections to amplify their impact.
This year, 16 mentors, each with expertise across forestry, ecology, Indigenous knowledge systems, environmental policy and sustainable land management, will support the 2025 Restoration Steward cohort as they navigate challenges, refine strategies and scale their projects. The mentors will support these young experts enact long-lasting change through intergenerational knowledge sharing.
“The wisdom of my mentors, Adrian Leitoro and Dr. Ermias Betemariam, was instrumental in shaping my team’s restoration strategies and helping us achieve our goals. We are deeply grateful for their time and commitment to our success.”
–Claudine Kamanzi, 2024 Drylands Restoration Steward and 2025 mentor
Baruch Aguilar Mena is a 2025 Oceans Restoration Steward restoring coastal dunes and strengthening local capacities in Yucatán, Mexico. He is being mentored by Alejandra Laina, natural resources manager at the World Resources Institute (WRI), Colombia, and Gabriela Gavarrete, biologist and environmental restoration advocate from El Salvador.
With Alejandra’s expertise in community-based conservation and multi-stakeholder collaboration and Gabriela’s work blending ecological science with community-led action, this mentorship ensures Baruch’s project will receive the needed guidance in holistic restoration strategies.
Kristel C. Quierrez is a 2025 Mountains Restoration Steward and co-founder of UGBON, an Indigenous youth organization in the Philippines safeguarding ancestral domains. She is being mentored by Gloria Amor Paredes, environmental education specialist from RECOFTC, and Javie Vinze Barcinal, conservationist and founder of Dulungan Youth.
Gloria and Javie have a wealth of experience working in environmental education, advocating for Indigenous rights and promoting regenerative practices in the Philippines. Both mentors are also previous Restoration Stewards, which will lend greatly to mentoring Kristel as she works to expand the reach of UGBON and deepen her leadership skills.
Shaik Imran Hussain Choudhary is a 2025 Forests Restoration Steward and founder of Prakheti Agrologics, an agroecology startup in India promoting agrobiodiversity, sustainable farming and land restoration. He is being mentored by Dr. Promode Kant, an expert in forestry and climate policy for IUFRO, Varun Tumuluru, a learning officer for the GLF and Trisa Bhattacharjee, a researcher for the Zoo Outreach Organisation.
Promode’s expertise in climate policy paired with Varun’s community-focused, interdisciplinary approach and Trisa’s work in restoration as a previous Restoration Steward in India will all greatly enhance Shaik’s journey of restoration.
Raquel Pereira Viana is a 2025 Drylands Restoration Steward from Brazil and is a community coordinator of the Indigenous Youth Department at the Indigenous Council of Roraima. She is being mentored by Marina Oliveira, the interim director for the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Dr. Sergio Lozano-Baez, an ecologist from Colombia.
Marina’s expertise in integrating conservation, food production and restoration into Brazil’s climate agenda paired with Sergio’s speciality in community-driven agroforestry and restoration and previous experience as a Restoration Steward make them great mentors for Raquel as she works to ensure traditional Indigenous wisdom continues to shape the future of environmental conservation in Brazil.
Sydner Kemunto is a 2025 Drylands Restoration Steward working on land restoration and sustainable agriculture with the youth-led community initiative Kijani Mtanni in Kaani, Kenya. She is being mentored by Christine Magaju, senior research associate at CIFOR-ICRAF in Kenya and Claudine Kamanzi, the founder for Forest for Life in Rwanda.
Sydner is poised to learn a lot from Christine’s specialization in ecosystem resilience and sustainable land management and Claudine’s work in nature-based solutions to combat soil degradation and her previous experience as a Restoration Steward.
Zuhura Ahmad Shaweji is a 2025 Oceans Restoration Steward who co-founded the Global Youth Biodiversity Network in Tanzania and works on the Bagamayo Seaweed Farming Initiative. She is being mentored by Fatema Rajabali, East and Southern Africa manager for CDKN and Levis Sirikwa, co-founder of the Ceriops Research Environmental Organization in Kenya.
Fatema has a wealth of expertise in climate adaptation, advocating for gender-inclusive biodiversity conservation and scaling work through knowledge sharing will make her a great mentor for Zuhura. Levis’s work previous experience as a Restoration Steward and his work in community-based conservation and using data-driven approaches will help Zuhura deepen her impact in Tanzania.
Joel Ngobi is a 2025 Forests Restoration Steward who runs the School Forest Initiative in Eastern Uganda. He is being mentored by Dr. Nadia Sitas, ecosystem-based adaptation thematic lead for CDKN, Vianny Ahimbisibwe, research scientist and policy adviser from Uganda and Steve Misati, marine biologist and founder of Youth Pawa in Kenya.
Nadia’s work addresses structural inequalities in resource governance, and she has 15 years of experience working in environmental policy and sustainability transitions, making her a great mentor for Joel as he works to expand the impact of the School Forest Initiative. Vianny’s work on socio-economic and governance aspects of forest landscape restoration will offer Joel key insights into sustainable forestry’s science-policy-practice nexus and Steve’s community-focused approach mirrors Joel’s reforestation vision, making him a perfect peer mentor.
About the Restoration Stewards program
The Restoration Stewards is a youth-led and youth-focused program rooted in care, landscape leadership, diversity, intersectionality and intergenerational equity. Launched in 2020 by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) and the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL), it aims to support the efforts of youth-led teams in holistically restoring their landscapes and seascapes while nurturing biocultural diversity.
For more information on the Restoration Stewards program or to connect with the Restoration Stewards or mentors, contact e.sakellari@cifor-icraf.org.
About YIL
YIL is a growing global network and movement of over 1.4 million young people working and studying in landscapes around the world. The Initiative is a partnership between the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA), Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), Youth 4 Nature (Y4N) and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), who joined forces to deliver workshops, mentorship, training and networking. Today, YIL has become a global movement of young people committed to living and breathing the landscape’s philosophy: collaboration, diversity, and collective action. Join the YIL newsletter and LinkedIn to stay connected.
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