Plenary session speakers
Hanno Zingel was born in 22. 08. 1970, education: 1988 -1992 (Tartu University, biology - taxonomy). Has worked as nature conservation officer since 1996. From 2000 – 2004 he was Director General of Nature Conservation Department of Ministry of the Environment, he was among other issues responsible for preparation of Natura 2000 network in Estonia. Today he works as advisor of the Ministry of the Environment. Kalev Sepp is a Professor of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation at the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU). He lectures on nature conservation, landscape ecology and management. He is a head of studies on environmental science at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, head of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He is a Vice-President of the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN), an elected Councillor of IUCN (2004−2012). He is a member of the EU FP7 Programme Committee for Environment (including climate change). His research covers: evaluating the human impact to agricultural landscapes, methodological approaches for landscape and biodiversity monitoring, applying the concept of ecological networks in spatial planning and using a concept landscape functions in environmental management (agri-environmental program, nature management), relationship between landscape structure and species composition. Julia Marton-Lefèvre is the Director General of IUCN. Prior to this, Julia was Rector of the University for Peace, a graduate-level international university, mandated by the United Nations, providing education, training and research on issues related to peace and conflict. Earlier offices held by Julia include Executive Director of LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) International, a programme established by The Rockefeller Foundation to bring together and train mid-career leaders from all parts of the world in improving their leadership skills around the issues of sustainable development and Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU), an important and respected global organization bringing together scientific academies and unions to promote scientific activities for the benefit of humanity. Julia is a member of a number of boards, councils and committees for organizations, such as the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), an advisory body to the Chinese Government, UPEACE, LEAD International, the Bibliotheca Alexandria. She has co-authored numerous books and papers. In 1999 she received the AAAS Award for International Cooperation in Science. In 2008, she was awarded the “Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur” by the French Government and was named Global Ambassador for Hungarian Culture by the Hungarian Minister of Education and Culture. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of the United Kingdom and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. Richard P. Reading is a Director of Conservation Biology. Denver Zoological Foundation (from 1996), from 1997 Associate Research Professor in University of Denver, and from 2008, Adjoint Senior Research Professor. University of Colorado-Denver. He has studied Marine Biology in Duke University Marine Laboratory and biology in Trinity College. From 1993, he holds a PhD in Wildlife Ecology (Yale University). Under his (co)authorship, 133 Journal Publications & Book Chapters, 8 Books & 2 Special Issues of Journals, 46 Non-technical & Popular Publications, 89 Presentations and Book Reviews have been published. He is Main Advisor or Field Supervisor for 3 Ph.D and for 4 M.S. students at 5 universities. Manfred Niekisch is biologist and Director of Frankfurt Zoo. He has been actively involved in international conservation work since 1980, initially with WWF and later with Oro Verde. In 1998 he became Professor of International Conservation at the University of Greifswald (Germany). He also teaches at both the University of Hanoi (Vietnam) and the Universidad Internacional de Andalucía (Spain). In honorary positions he is President of the Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö), Vice-President of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), member of the Board of the Senckenberg Natural History Society and Chairman of OroVerde Foundation - among others. He served for the maximum possible two terms as regional Councillor of IUCN. He is also co- editor of the Journal for Nature Conservation. In 2008 was appointed to the Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) of the Federal Government of Germany. Geographically, the focus of his scientific and practical conservation work lies in the tropical regions. Tiit Maran graduated from Tartu University (Estonia) as dipl. biol. on environmental science and ecology in 1983, and later took a MSci degree in zoology and Phd in ecology. Currently working in Tallinn Zoo as a head of Species Conservation Research Lab and Scientific Secretary in Tallinn Zoo and have a part-time position of associate professor on conservation biology in Tallinn University. The European mink conservation has always been a central issue in his work, involving practical conservation management, research and policy. Other commitments are: the coordinator of the European mink EEP, the Director of the foundation Lutreola, a member of Estonian scientific authority on CITES.Tamás Marghescu, a dual citizen of Germany and Hungary .He holds a Masters of Science from the Forestry Science Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg. He started his career in the Bavarian Forestry Service in Germany and then was chosen to become an associate professional officer to work in the operations division of the Forestry Department in the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy and then later as Chief Technical Adviser in Thailand. With the political change in Hungary, the German Government provided assistance to Hungary, by sending Tamas as a high-level expert adviser to Hungary. He worked for 6 years until 2002 as Special Adviser to the Hungarian Minister of Environment in an exiting time of political, economic and social transition as well as towards European integration.In 2002, Tamás was appointed as Regional Director for Pan-Europe (57 countries) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In January 2010, Tamás was appointed Director General of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC). He has the reputation of being highly creative with a strong sense of ‘what can be done’. His solutions are often unconventional and refreshing, representing “out of the box” thinking. Tobias Salathe was trained as an ecologist at Basle University in Switzerland. He then worked as a conservation consultant, coordinated the Migratory Birds Conservation Programme of BirdLife International, worked as an external expert for the Nature Conservation and Life Unit of DG Environment of the European Commission, and for the Mediterranean wetland research and conservation programme of the Tour du Valat Foundation, before joining the Ramsar Convention Secretariat in 1999, where he coordinates the work of the European countries. Piet Wiet With an educational background in agriculture and range ecology, Piet Wit has built up extensive expertise in natural resource and biodiversity management over nearly fourty years. He has lengthy experience in the Netherlands, notably in research and education, and has worked in most west-African countries in the Sahelian region, in eastern, central and southern Africa and throughout Asia. His experience includes long-term missions in Nigeria, Cameroon and Mongolia on biodiversity conservation and management projects, including participatory management of protected areas and their buffer zones, integrated water management and integrated rural development. Piet Wit also has a strong background in training and education management. He is especially involved in bringing together theory and practice, integrating the realities of the field into policy-making and vice versa, identifying and exploiting opportunities, and building synergy between different sectors and actors. Henric Wahlgren is a Sustainability Manager. Employed at Kinnarps AB, Sweden. He has a MSc degree in Environmental Science (2007, Linköping University). His work at Kinnarps AB includes the investigation of materials, processes and to keep track of new development; collecting and analysing of data and communication of the same through company reports; aiding the marketing department communicating sustainability, sales teams and the purchasing department to sell and procure and the product development – to find more sustainable solutions; internal training and public lectures (amongst other at Jönköping University at the International Business School on CSR and sustainability), internal auditing, and development of company strategies, policies, targets, action plans and implementation. From 2010, he is a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM). Enrico Durbano Ecocounter Ltd, France) COMPETENCES: Project management, Identifying and selecting the premium sites, Supervising the installation of equipment, Seeking out and identifying technical problems, Building national network to manage touristic flows in natural areas, Communication, Training MORE IMPORTANT COUNTING PROJECTS: 2004-2005 : Taking part in setting up an observation post to monitor frequentation of the Alpes Maritimes Natural Park (Italy) 2008-2009 : Setting up a network of pedestrian and car counters for the Alpes Maritimes General Council (France) 2009-2010: Management of an observation post in the Pyrenees National Park (France) TRAINING AND LANGUAGES Training : Università di Torino, Laurea in Scienze Forestali ed Ambientali. English equivalent: Forest and Waterways Engineer. Olli Ojala works as policy officer in the Natura 2000 unit of the European Commissions Directorate General Environment. He has a Masters degree in Biology, major in botany, from University of Helsinki, Finland. In 2001 he started working in the Regional Environment Centre of Uusimaa in Finland. Since 2009 he has been seconded as a national expert to the European Commission. Over the years he has dealt with various aspects of nature conservation e.g. nature inventories, species and biotope protection, habitat restoration, management of Natura 2000 sites and most recently policy development. Stig Johansson is the current vice-chair in the IUCN World Commission for Protected Areas responsible for Pan-Europe. He works as the Regional Director for Southern Finland at Metsähallitus, Natural Heritage Services. The Natural Heritage Services manage the protected areas network in Finland, and his region covers 25 national parks and about 1500 other protected areas. Dr. Johansson has a long experience from conservation and natural resources management in Europe as well as from tropical conditions. He has worked more than 10 years in the tropics, mainly Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia. He is a member of the Island Committee, a statutory advisory committee appointed by the government of Finland. He is also representing Finland as a member and was the previous chairman of the permanent working group for Terrestrial Ecosystems at the Nordic Council of Ministers. |
| Plenary session speakers |
