Dr. Bremley Lyngdoh is the Founder and CEO of Worldview Impact Foundation and EcoFriend World. Both of Bremley’s organizations are dedicated to fighting climate change and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by restoring the degraded mangrove forest ecosystems in partnership with Worldview International Foundation, co-founded by the legendary Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl.
Bremley’s initiatives have attracted the support of influential conservationists, including his mentor, Dr. Jane Goodall, who serves as an Ambassador for EcoFriend World, alongside Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, and Virginia McKenna, Founder of Born Free Foundation.
Utilizing ingenious technologies, such as AI tree-planting drones and NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) satellites, his organizations and partners have successfully planted 100 million mangrove trees!
These forests are located across multiple project sites in the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park in Myanmar’s Delta Region, as well as the Sundarbans of India, and the coastlines of Benin, Togo and The Gambia.
The objective is to reach one billion trees by 2030 as mangrove forests are five times more effective at capturing CO2 than any rainforest!
Academically, Bremley holds a Master of International Affairs (MIA) in Environmental Policy Studies from Columbia University. He received guidance from his esteemed advisor, Prof. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize Economic Science Recipient and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, and his mentor, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Advisor to the UN Secretary-General.
Additionally, Bremley holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics in the UK, an advanced diploma in Environmental Diplomacy from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, and a dual Ph.D. in Sustainable Development from the Azteca University in Mexico and the Central University in Nicaragua.
Bremley was born in the capital of Meghalaya, India, in the lush, green hills of Shillong, the “Scotland of the East.” Bremley’s mother is a medical doctor, and his father, Eric Lyngdoh, was a prolific political leader during the Hill State Movement in the 1960s and birthed the Hill State of Meghalaya in 1972.
Eric led a powerful nonviolent direct-action march to pressure the Governments of Assam and India to give the Khasi people freedom to rule themselves under their new autonomous state.
Eric taught his children to respect their ancestors, the power of plants, trees and nature and to take care of Mother Earth for future generations.
Captivated by his ancestor’s wisdom and indigenous traditions passed down by his father within their ancient clan’s sacred forest, Bremley knew his calling to save the tigers and the effect would ripple across the globe, restoring the balance on Earth.
He understood the role of the Tigermen from his native Khasi tribe that walked his homeland, propelling him to protect these majestic beings in their natural habitats.
His passion took root at a young age. Witnessing environmental calamities and devastation instilled in him a profound responsibility to preserve and restore our planet. At just ten years old in 1985, during the fifth grade, he received the Help Age India Award for assisting cyclone victims in Bangladesh who become displaced refugees that are prey for human traffickers.
At 17, Bremley embarked on a global mission to save the tigers, advocating for sustainable development across villages and world capitals to heal damaged and degraded lands, deserts, mountains, forests, mangroves and marine ecosystems.
Bremley’s journey from the majestic highlands of the Himalayas where “the earth meets the sky” to a climate change and sustainable development expert with over three decades of experience working with Governments, IGOs, NGOs, and the Private Sector has been marked by numerous leadership roles such as serving as former co-chair for the UN Sustainable Development Education Caucus.
Bremley left his hometown of Shillong and moved to the capital of India to study at Delhi University. He soon became a lifetime member of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India and started fundraising events for the organization’s keystone Project Tiger in the Spring of 1993 to protect all wild tigers.
Bremley also joined the Consortium of Indian Scientists for Sustainable Development and worked on a project to combat desertification and regenerate desert ecosystems around the Pushkar Valley in Rajasthan in 1993.
In 1995, on the UN’s 50th Anniversary, he was elected as one of the World Youth Commissioners to the World Commission of Young Leaders at the UN for a five-year term, further fueling his unshakeable determination to awaken the next generation.
Bremley received the Best Air Force Cadet Award and Recognition from the Indian Air Force No. 1 Delhi Air Squadron, where he was trained as a military pilot. He led his fellow comrades from his Air Squadron in the Republic Day Parade on January 26, 1996, and was greeted by the President of India along with all three military service chiefs from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force, who personally presented him with the award.
Then he received the prestigious WWF Prince Bernhard Scholarship for Environmental Leadership from WWF International in Switzerland after riding his bicycle for 1500 miles from Montreal to Washington, DC (WDC) in the Summer of 96 as part of the Pedal for the Planet program of the Overseas Development Network.
Bremley continually demonstrates his commitment to many causes, including bicycling 3500 miles across the US from the Golden Gate Bridge Park in San Francisco to the steps of the US Capitol building in WDC. This epic ride took place in the summer of 1998 with Bike Aid to support 50 environmental projects around the globe.
To honor his father’s passing, he skydived to raise money for Born Free Foundation – Save Wild Tigers and ran marathons for the Jane Goodall Institute – Roots and Shoots and Dr. Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue – Save our Ocean.
On October 5, 1999, Bremley addressed the US Congress with Senator Alan Cranston and Reverend Jesse Jackson about the threat of nuclear weapons and the importance of nuclear disarmament.
His Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, appointed him the Youth Ambassador for India at the UN Millennium Summit, where he had the privilege of addressing World Leaders at the UN Millennium Assembly on September 28, 2000, at 25 years old, leaving a lasting impact on the global stage.
Afterward, before the advent of social media, Bremley mobilized over five million youth from 175 countries for Global Youth Service Day with his colleagues from the Global Youth Action Network in New York (NY) and Youth Service America in WDC from 2000-2005.
On the first annual celebration of International Youth Day at the UN Headquarters in NY on August 12, 2000, he received the UN World Youth Award for Notable Achievement for implementing the UN World Programme of Action for Youth in India.
Bremley’s career led him to the UN Development Program (UNDP), where he worked on the Gulf of Mannar coral reef regeneration protection project to restore marine ecosystems along the coastlines of Tamil Nadu, and to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development Secretariat in NY, where he collaborated with the nine Major Groups of Agenda 21.
He also served as an Environmental Economist at the Environment Department of the World Bank in WDC, analyzing policy challenges and opportunities related to poverty reduction and environmental management.
Bremley developed a diverse portfolio of innovative projects in Asia, Africa, and South America focused on producing ecologically sound and economically viable activities that directly reduce rural poverty and generate productive, sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable local communities.
Building global strategic partnerships at every level and cultivating vast experience in project sourcing, Bremley has spearheaded various climate change adaptation projects that integrate agroforestry, regenerative farming, sustainable tourism and renewable energy technologies.
On his birthday, December 3, 2023, in the presence of the British and Swedish Ambassadors to India, Bremley, with his colleagues from Worldview Impact and the Hill Farmers’ Union, launched the Regeneration Meghalaya Project to plant 64 million native trees to restore cloud forest ecosystems in the highlands of his homeland, Meghalaya meaning the land where the clouds come home.
To commemorate his father’s birthday, January 8, 2024, he launched the Regeneration Kenya Project with his colleagues from the Green Planet Initiative 2050 in Africa to plant 6 million native trees in the highlands of western Kenya. One of his numerous projects that support small organic farmers in northeast India is the Spring Valley Farm based in Shillong, Meghalaya, which honors his father’s legacy.
Bremley’s adventure has spanned 85 countries worldwide, implementing his eco-blueprint that has an indelible impact on our planet and communities, creating a greener, more sustainable future. His drive and commitment to restoring the balance on earth, uniting our future global leaders, and uplifting humanity have established him as a world-renowned global leader in the fields of climate change and sustainable development.
Bremley’s favorite quote:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”
– Eleanor Roosevelt