David Obura is a Founding Director of CORDIO East Africa, and Chair of the Intergovermental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). CORDIO is a knowledge organization supporting sustainability of coral reef and marine systems in the Western Indian Ocean. David’s primary research has been on coral reef resilience, biogeography and climate change impacts. His interests are turning now towards sustainability science pivoting around coastal, African and societal needs and priorities, in the broader sustainable development paradigm. David works from the local scale, through fostering innovative action to promote sustainability, through regional scale alignment and integration, to global scales. David is on the Earth Commission (2019-2026), was a Co-Chair of IPBES’s Nexus Assessment and was active in compiling science inputs into the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. David was awarded Kenya’s national honour, Moran of the Burning Spear in December 2021, and the Coral Reef Conservation Award of the International Coral Reef Society in 2022.