Preliminary Program
An early preview of the symposium schedule
Program subject to change
Please note: On May 30 and 31, attendees will be split into two groups. Those who attend Hall 1 on May 30 will automatically switch to Hall 2 on May 31, and vice versa. This way, all participants will experience the full symposium program.
Friday 29th of May (day for students/ teachers/ herpetoculturists)
| 8.00 | Registration (coffee/tea) | ||
| 9.00 | Introduction by the director of the Herpetofauna Foundation | ||
| Hall 1 | Hall 2 | ||
| 9.15 | Johan Marais – “Kokerboom Biological Research Station” | 9.15 | Joe Wasilewski - “The invasive herpetofauna species in the Bahamas and the Caribbean” |
| 9.40 | Mbaraak Abdalla | 9.40 | Gina de La Tonga - “Amplifying of Conservation Impact: The Power of Partnerships wihtin the Amphibian Survival Alliance” |
| 10.05 | Raf Stassen / Stefan Lötters / Jesse Erens | 10.05 | Shavez Sheema |
| 10.40 | Short break | 10.40 | Short break |
| 11.05 | Alvaro Velasco – “The role of new zoos in conservation” | 11.05 | Shariar Ceasar Rahman |
| 11.30 | Pascal van Erp - "Healthy Seas" | 11.30 | Veronika Mikos - "Healthy Seas" |
| 11.55 | Lunch and networking | 11.55 | Lunch and networking |
| 13.00 | Paneldiscussie met Joe Wasilewski, Shavez Sheema, Gina de La Tonga, Veronika Mikos, Constance Mager en Jesse Erens | 13.00 | Paneldiscussie met Stefan Lötters, Donna Kalil, Johan Marais, Alvaro Velasco en Mbaraak Abdalla |
| 14.30 | Short break | 14.30 | Short break |
| 14.50 | Sterrin Smalbrugge - “How to make people love the unloved” | 14.50 |
Constance Mager - “Fascinating herpets? A zoo visitors’ view" |
| 15.05 | Shariar Ceasar Rahman - "Conservation of Threathned Reptiles in one of the most densley populated nations in the world" | 15.05 | Stefan Lötters / Raf Stassen / Jesse Erens |
| 15.30 | Panel met vragen uit het publiek met Thomas Schrei, Thijs van den Burg, Donna Kalil, Robin Bernard en Shavez Sheema | 15.30 | Panel met vragen uit het publiek met Shariar Ceasar Rahman, Veronika Mikos, Johan Marais, Pascal van Erp en Sterrin Smalbrugge |
| 16.30 | Drinks and networking | 16.30 | Drinks and networking |
| 17.15 | End of day 1 | 17.15 | End of day 1 |
Saturday 30th of May (first plenary day)
| Hall 1 | Hall 2 | ||
| 8.00 | Registration (coffee/tea) | 8.00 | Registration (coffee/tea ) |
| 8.45 | Introduction by the director of the Herpetofauna Foundation | 8.45 | Introduction by the director of the Herpetofauna Foundation (on screen) |
| 9.15 | Joe Wasilewski - “Iguanids of the world” | 9.15 | Stefan Lötters / Raf Stassen / Jesse Erens |
| 10.05 | Gina de La Tonga - “The Critical Role of ARTs and Biobanking in Amphibian Conservation" | 10.05 | Donna Kalil - “Donna Kalil, Python Huntress” (korte documentaire + Q&A) |
| 10.50 | Short break | 10.50 | Short break |
| 11.10 | Shariar Ceasar Rahman - "Conservation of Threathned Reptiles in one of the most densley populated nations in the world" | 11.10 | Shavez Sheema - "Herpetofauna of Sabah, Borneo" |
| 12.00 | Johan Marais - “Assessing Critically Endangered Reptiles: Scelotes inornatus – a case study” | 12.00 | Constance Mager - “On the scale: The efforts of Burgers’ Zoo for herpets” |
| 12.50 | Lunch and networking | 12.50 | Lunch and networking |
| 13.45 | Mbaraak Abdalla - "Threaths and conservation measures for reptiles and amphibians in the manroves of Kenya" | 13.45 | Robin Bernard |
| 14.35 | Veronika Mikos and Pascal van Erp - "The power of education and awareness raising in marine conservation" / "Ghost fishing gear and the impacts for marine life" | 14.35 | Alvaro Velasco - “Orinoco crocodile conservation plan” |
| 15.30 | Short break | 15.30 |
Short break |
| 15.55 | Thijs van den Burg -"Understanding and protecting the diversity of iguanas in the Caribbian Lesser Antilles" | 15.55 | Thomas Schrei - “Fading Into the Mist: Ecological Insights and Conservation Risks for the Campbell's Alligator Lizard in Guatemala’s Cloud Forest” |
| 16.40 | Raf Stassen / Stefan Lötters - "Amphibians and reptiles as drivers for conservation" | 16.40 |
Sterrin Smalbrugge - “How can we use science communication to improve reptile conservation?” |
| 17.25 | Drinks and networking | 17.25 | Drinks and networking |
| 18.30 | End of day 2 | 18.30 | End of day 2 |
Sunday 31st of May (second plenary day)
| Hall 1 | Hall 2 | ||
| 8.00 | Registration (coffee/tea) | 8.00 | Registration (coffee/tea) |
| 8.45 | Introduction by the director of the Herpetofauna Foundation (on screen) | 8.45 | Introduction by the director of the Herpetofauna Foundation |
| 9.15 | Stefan Lötters / Raf Stassen / Jesse Erens | 9.15 | Joe Wasilewski – “Iguanids of the world” |
| 10.05 | Donna Kalil - “Donna Kalil, Python Huntress” (korte documentaire + Q&A) | 10.05 | Gina de La Tonga – “The Critical Role of ARTs and Biobanking in Amphibian Conservation" |
| 10.50 | Short break | 10.50 | Short break |
| 11.10 | Shavez Sheema - "Herpetofauna of Sabah, Borneo" | 11.10 | Shariar Ceasar Rahman |
| 12.00 | Constance Mager - “On the scale: The efforts of Burgers’ Zoo for herpets” | 12.00 | Johan Marais – “Assessing Critically Endangered Reptiles: Scelotes inornatus – a case study” |
| 12.50 | Lunch and networking | 12.50 | Lunch and networking |
| 13.45 | Robin Bernard | 13.45 | Mbaraak Abdalla |
| 14.35 | Alvaro Velasco - “Orinoco crocodile conservation plan” | 14.35 | Veronika Mikos |
| 15.30 |
Short break | 15.30 | Short break |
| 15.55 | Thomas Schrei - “Fading Into the Mist: Ecological Insights and Conservation Risks for the Campbell's Alligator Lizard in Guatemala’s Cloud Forest” | 15.55 | Thijs van den Burg |
| 16.40 |
Speaker to be announced | 16.40 | Raf Stassen / Stefan Lötters |
| 17.25 | Drinks and networking | 17.25 | Drinks and networking |
| 18.30 | End of day 3 | 18.30 | End of day 3 |
The Biodiversity Of Reptiles And Amphibians Symposium
© Herpetofauna Foundation 2025
