BirdsCaribbean 2026 Conference

Call for Keynote & Plenary Speaker Nominations

BirdsCaribbean is seeking nominations for Keynote and Plenary Speakers for our 2026 Conference in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 23-27 July 2026. The conference theme is “Birds, People, Prosperity: Harnessing the Caribbean’s Natural Advantage.”  We anticipate inviting 6-7 speakers to address a range of timely and relevant topics.

We encourage nominations from across sectors, including science, conservation practice, community leadership, policy, education, and sustainable and regenerative tourism.

We are especially interested in speakers who can share innovative ideas, cutting-edge research, and inspiring stories of solutions that advance bird conservation while supporting thriving communities. Presentations should offer fresh insights and stimulate discussion that helps move our shared work forward. Story-driven presentations are especially encouraged.

Prospective speakers should:

  • Be recognized experts or leaders in their field 
  • Understand the purpose of our conference and be able to convey ideas that resonate with our diverse audience of researchers, conservation practitioners, educators, policymakers, and community leaders
  • Have excellent public speaking skills (engaging, charismatic, and passionate).
  • Ideally address aspects of the conference theme

We especially encourage nominations of speakers from the Caribbean region, while also welcoming a small number of perspectives from beyond the region that offer relevant lessons, innovations, or partnerships.

A wide range of topics may be considered, but presentations should relate to the ecology and conservation of Caribbean birds and nature. We are particularly interested in speakers who can illuminate the connections between nature and people—such as leaders in regenerative or nature-based tourism, community-led conservation, innovative conservation finance, technology and data for biodiversity monitoring, science communication, and successful models that demonstrate how protecting biodiversity can support sustainable livelihoods.

Nominations for keynote and plenary speakers should be submitted using the brief form below. Please include the nominee’s contact information, area of expertise, and a short statement explaining why they would be a strong speaker for this conference. The form takes just a few minutes to complete.

Submit nominations here

Self-nominations are welcome.

Please submit nominations by Friday, March 20th.

Thank you in advance for helping us identify inspiring speakers for this milestone conference.

Speakers and their topics from previous BirdsCaribbean Conferences can be viewed here:

P.S. Please share with your networks!