Dr. Paul Salaman is a globally recognized conservation leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing biodiversity protection and nonprofit effectiveness across the tropics. Born in Australia and educated in the United Kingdom, his passion for wildlife began early—sparked by an encounter with Sir David Attenborough at age eight. By fourteen, he was already managing a nature reserve and traveling across the UK in search of wildlife, laying the foundation for a lifelong commitment to conservation.

During his university years, Paul organized and led multiple research expeditions to Colombia, work that contributed to the establishment of a national park and a network of private nature reserves. His scientific contributions include the discovery and description of four bird species new to science. In 1998, he co-founded Fundación ProAves, which has become one of Latin America’s most effective conservation organizations.

Paul has played a pivotal role in scaling conservation impact globally. In 2013, he established Rainforest Trust (formerly WLT-US) and grew it 50-fold to a leading international NGO. Under his leadership, the organization helped secure protection for more than 40 million acres of critical habitat, safeguarding endangered species across 60 countries. Paul is presently the Chair of IUCN US Fund that supports the world’s conservation network: the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

A leading expert in global biodiversity conservation, Paul has been at the forefront of advancing science-based strategies to protect the world’s most threatened species, including directing urgent interventions for those at imminent risk of extinction. While he has authored numerous scientific publications, his career has been defined by bridging the gap between research and real-world conservation action, with deep field experience across South America.