Sam Ivande is a conservation biologist and ornithologist with over two decades of experience working across West Africa. He currently serves as the National Species Conservation Coordinator at the Indianapolis Zoo and is a member of the IUCN SSC. Prior to this, he served as the Research and Teaching Director at the A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) - West Africa's foremost conservation and ornithology training institute. Sam has led numerous capacity-building, field research, and species conservation initiatives in the region, with a strong focus on birds as flagships for broader biodiversity action. He helped establish the Nigerian Bird Atlas Project - one of West Africa’s largest citizen science programs and has collaborated widely with researchers, communities, and institutions to advance conservation science and practice. As BWB’s West Africa Coordinator, Sam is leading regional efforts to inform and shape the Bustard Multi-species Action Plan by engaging experts and compiling key data on the conservation status of bustards across the region.