The BRI happily welcomes Dr. Alebel Melaku Kolech to its team! His arrival as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow reflects the BRI’s growing international visibility and its ability to attract talented researchers from around the world. His experience and expertise in sacred forests, ecosystem services provision and cultural landscape management from Ethiopia and Japan, brings valuable new perspectives to the institute, enriching scientific and international exchange and contributing to the quality of our research and transfer activities. At the same time, the BRI offers opportunities to advance his own research and collaborate with the team and BRI partners. We very much look forward to working with Dr. Alebel Melaku Kolech over the coming years!