ABOUT EUROSITE

Melina is from the north of Germany and has always been fascinated by the beauty of nature and its residents while developing a strong interest in law.

She holds an LL.B. in Comparative and European Law from the University of Oldenburg and an LL.M. in European Law in a Global Context from the University of Groningen, where she focused on Environmental Law and Policies. Currently, Melina interns at Technopolis Group Belgium, where she works on environmental and climate policies in the Green Transformation Unit, supporting the design and implementation of several projects for the European Union and other clients in the public sector. In addition, she provides national legal expertise in the fields of Environmental EU, International, and German Law. She has previously worked on formulating and setting up conservation easements under the LIFE ENPLC project at Eurosite.

Melina is dedicated to ensuring nature conservation and biodiversity protection through the power of the law and policies following a cooperative and realistic approach.

Kyriakos graduated from the School of Forestry & Natural Environment of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with an MSc in Wildlife Management. He also holds a degree of Human Resources Management from the Kapodistrian University of Athens.

For many years, he has worked in the fields of forest management, wetlands ecology, rangeland management, public awareness, wildlife management, environmental education and stakeholder training. He is the editor of several publications and informative materials and the author of and contributor to studies, papers, courses, congresses, and magazines. He has a lot of experience working with NGOs and stakeholders.

Currently, as Office & Game-warden Director at the Hunting Federation of Macedonia & Thrace, he mainly deals with wildlife protection, public awareness, communication with state agencies, law enforcement, and habitat restoration. Kyriakos is a member of the Board of “Serres for Unesco” as Deputy for the Environment, contributing to the collaboration of local authorities to protect natural and environmental heritage. Kyriakos sees the environment not only as nature but as everything that surrounds us.

He loves music and has had his own radio show for 18 years at several radio stations in Greece.

Lander studied environmental management and has been working at Natuurpunt since 2019, where he coordinates the (LIFE) wetlands4Cities project. A project dedicated to wetland restoration in and around cities. He also coordinates the long-term wetland plan by Natuurpunt to work on wetland restoration throughout Flanders.

In his spare time, Lander likes cycling and travelling. He combines both by travelling around Europe by bike; he has done so in more than 20 countries, from Spain to Ukraine.

Laura grew up in Transylvania during the last years of the communist regime.
With a background in management, marketing, and environmental protection, holding a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest and two master’s degrees, one in Quality Management and another in Agriculture, Climate Change, and Food Safety, Laura has built a career centred on project coordination, strategic communication, and sustainable rural development.

Laura has over a decade of experience leading regional, national, and international projects, including biodiversity conservation initiatives, community engagement, and public awareness campaigns.
She is part of the Fundatia ADEPT Transylvania team, which focuses on the socio-economic development of rural areas and preserving high-nature-value farmlands. Her tenure at ADEPT also emphasises empowering small-scale farmers and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Laura’s career includes corporate and cultural project management roles, managing community relations and spearheading collaborative initiatives with public authorities and media outlets. She has also contributed significantly to the arts sector through her involvement in theatre and cultural events, showcasing her versatility in managing multi-stakeholder projects.
Her expertise lies in fostering strong communication networks, managing resources effectively, and ensuring impactful outreach for conservation and cultural initiatives.

Rita spent her entire childhood immersed in nature, surrounded by people dedicated to its conservation. She grew up in a family of nature conservationists in one of Lithuania’s protected areas and actively participated in various environmental initiatives. Although she once vowed never to become a conservationist, fate ultimately led her back to her roots.

Today, Rita is a communication expert with over 10 years of experience in environmental protection, working with one of Lithuania’s leading environmental NGOs, the Baltic Environmental Forum Lithuania.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Creative Industries and a master’s degree in Public Relations. Occasionally, she shares her expertise in environmental communication with students and professionals. Passionate about environmental campaigning and advocacy, Rita is also dedicated to children’s education. She is especially proud of her work creating “Forest Spells,” a unique event that combines environmental conservation with magic, theatre, and ethnoculture, designed to inspire and educate young minds.

Marta joined the Eurosite Board to contribute her extensive experience in nature conservation policy, land stewardship, and governance to support collaborative efforts across Europe. She sees Eurosite as an essential platform for connecting practitioners and driving practical solutions for biodiversity and climate resilience at a continental scale.

Marta is a senior executive and a former Catalan politician with over 25 years of experience, passionate about nature, sustainability, and contributing to making a healthier planet.

During her tenure as Secretary of Environment and Sustainability and Director General of Environmental Policy of the Government of Catalonia (2011-2021) she promoted the recovery of policies and management of natural protected areas and biodiversity in Catalonia, despite a period of economic crisis and scarce resources. The Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Strategy, the first report on the State of Nature in Catalonia, and the creation of the Catalan Nature Agency (ANAcat), were approved under her leadership. Other projects were aimed at adapting to climate change, restoring ecological flows, and improving river systems.

During her time in the government, she actively promoted land stewardship in Catalonia and resumed the capacity to purchase land of high natural value for public heritage, such as the Santa Margarita Volcano in La Garrotxa or the Vinyet Beach estate at the mouth of the Gaià River (Tarragona).

She is a member of different boards as Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation or the Advisory Council for the Cultural and Natural Heritage Campus of the University of Girona (UdG) among others.

She holds a degree in Law by the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF- Barcelona) and executive programs at Wharton (ESG for Senior Leaders) and Harvard-IESE (Value Creation through Effective Boards), postgraduate studies in corporate and institutional communication (UPF), public management and public-private collaboration at ESADE, leadership management at IESE (Madrid, Spain), and on international politics at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) – University of Cambridge (UK).

Bohdan is a Senior Research Scientist who obtained his PhD in 1997 and won the Whitley Award for Nature Conservation (2007). Currently, he is the CEO and Director of the Danube-Carpathian Programme in Ukraine. He is an expert in conservation biology, plant ecology, conservation and protected areas management, species and habitats management, plant invasion, floodplain ecology and restoration ecology, and nature protection policy. Furthermore, he has 30 years of experience in research studies in biodiversity and natural resource management in various countries in Europe as well as Asia, and 17 years of experience managing international projects on nature conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources in the Danube-Carpathian Region. Bohdan worked as the leader of WWF Ukraine for more than 11 years and is the part-time Head of the Department of the Landscape and Biota Diversity, State Museum of Natural History at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Lviv, Ukraine.

Liliana has worked for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority (DDBRA) since 1998. Currently, she coordinates the Department for Internal and International Relations, previously the Communications and Public Relations unit. Leading this team, Liliana developed a deep understanding of national and European policies and procedures and a broad skill set in managing intra- and inter-institutional networks. All these years, she has strived to find the most appropriate ways to pass environmental information on to the general public, focusing on nature site managers, their success stories, and lessons learned.

To be added

Fernando is a professional ecologist with over 20 years of experience, primarily in Ireland, specialising in peatland conservation and the ecology of diverse habitats, including limestone pavements, heathlands, woodlands, grasslands, and coastal areas. With academic foundations in Forestry Science (BSc and MSc) and advanced expertise in GIS, remote sensing, and project management (MSc), Fernando brings a unique blend of practical and technical knowledge to habitat conservation.

A central focus of Fernando’s career has been peatland restoration, managing national field surveys, assessing conservation status under the EU Habitats Directive, and setting national conservation objectives. In their role as Scientific Adviser to NPWS, he gained valuable experience in policy development, habitat restoration programmes, LIFE project supervision, and ecosystem services assessment, including greenhouse gas emissions.

Fernando actively contributes to national and international conservation initiatives, frequently representing NPWS at conferences and seminars. As a lead author of national reports and co-author of scientific papers, he continues to influence the field through collaboration with government agencies, universities, consultancies, and NGOs. Passionate about applying science to real-world challenges, Fernando is committed to safeguarding habitats for future generations.

Carlotta has a BSc in Zoology and an MSc in Wildlife Management from Reading University in the UK. After a thesis and fieldwork on the ecology of a population of Eagle Owls in Spain, she returned to Italy to join WWF Oasi as a project officer working on projects in WWF Italy protected areas. She has worked on several aspects of nature reserve management, working closely with the over 40 WWF nature reserves. She coordinates daily management activities, national and international conservation projects, management plans, communication projects and nature reserve events at a local and national level. Currently, she coordinates daily management activities of the 40 nature reserves WWF Oasi manages, protected area events and WWF Oasi’s communication projects.

Kazimierz Rabski has a PhD degree as a physical-geographer. He has been working in the nature conservation sector since 1989, including nearly 5 years as Director of one of the Polish National Parks (Słowiński NP) and the next 5 years being the head of the department responsible for the international cooperation of the Polish National Parks at the Ministry of Environment.
Since 2002 Kazimierz has been working as independent consultant and expert in many state and business bodies responsible for the sustainable development and nature management of coastal areas. He is the Chairman of the Society for The Coast (EUCC-Poland), an NGO that is involved in active nature management and was the founder of Odra Delta Nature Park, the first large-scale active nature protection initiative in Poland, managed by an NGO. He has been associated with Eurosite since 1996.
Kazimierz is also known as TV programme and filmmaker, and producer of more than 230 broadcasted productions.

Teresa is a civil engineer with extensive hydraulics, land-use planning, and environmental management expertise. She holds a PhD in Landscape Interdisciplinary Management and advanced qualifications in maritime transport, port management, and environmental economics. Her career spans decades of consultancy work, coordinating studies on protected areas, coastal and estuarine planning, nautical tourism, and sustainable development for government agencies, public institutions, and private companies.

As a published author on nautical tourism, coastal planning, and the sustainable use of protected areas, Teresa combines technical knowledge with a strategic vision to promote harmonious development between human activity and environmental preservation.

Christophe is an editor in chief for the French television. He discovered the Conservatoires d’espaces naturels when making a report about some sites a few decades ago. He then became a volunteer for the Conservatoires, which are one of the most important NGO’s in France, managing natural sites. The Conservatoires have over 10000 members, and 1000 employees who are employed everywhere in France. He became the president of the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels des Hauts-de-France in Northern France. Since 2019, Christophe is also the president of the national federation of Conservatoires.

Kevin graduated in Nature and Forestry education in 2010 in Belgium. Since 2011 he has been working for Natuurpunt, the biggest nature NGO in the Flemish part of Belgium. First as a team leader of the professional workers, later on as a field biologist to make management plans and coordinate nature restoration works for several Flemish and European projects. Through this work, he has become very experienced in Flora and habitat monitoring.
Apart from his professional career, Kevin is also active as a volunteer to manage some nature reserves in his neighbourhood and he is often outside looking for interesting nature scenes as a passionate nature photographer.

To be added.

To be added.

To be added.

To be added.

Mathias is a biologist by training and has specialized in socio-ecological systems. Mathias is a project technician in the conservation and international relations of the Xarxa per a la Conservació de la Natura (XCN). The XCN is a second-level NGO in Catalonia (Spain) with over 184 member entities, and the aim is to promote nature conservation through social engagement strategies, such as land stewardship and volunteering. Mathias is passionate about the Mediterranean landscape and discovering new spots whenever possible, and he enjoys collaborating with citizen science projects.

Contact
cpoirters@eurosite.org

Education
International Business & Languages, University of Applied Sciences ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

Experience
Carlijn is Dutch and, together with the Finance Officer, forms the administrative backbone of the Eurosite Secretariat. She oversees the day-to-day financial and personnel administration of the organisation and financial reporting for various projects (LIFE, Interreg NWE, Horizon Europe, EUKI and others). She supports the overall governance of the network (Board, Council, Annual General Assemblies) and the running of the Secretariat, and oversees the implementation of our EU NGO LIFE Operating Grant. Carlijn started with Eurosite in 2002 and has more than 20 years of international work experience.

“I enjoy working for Eurosite, supporting the site managers across Europe that take care of the practical management of Europe’s nature sites, safeguarding our natural heritage. Eurosite is a very friendly network and is truly a ‘home for suits and muddy boots’. We all have common objectives and enjoy sharing our experiences for the benefit of nature.”

Contact
wmroz@eurosite.org

Education
M.Sc. Environmental Biology; PhD Environmental Biology, Jagiellonian University, Poland.

Experience
Wojciech is an experienced, highly qualified ecologist with 19 years of practical experience in nature conservation in various sectors. He has proven professional experience in several positions in very diverse multi-stakeholder projects: starting from field research technician, GIS technician and data analyst, independent researcher, head of the scientific department, large-scale project manager, national coordinator of natural habitats monitoring scheme, international expert and finally – independent ecological consultant and expert in nature conservation for WWF. At Eurosite, he will fulfil the role of Project Officer.

“I am considered as a very open-minded, team and task-oriented, flexible, innovative and creative person. I’ve also got a deep understanding of diverse socio-economic conditions. I’m keen on travelling and working in a multicultural environment.”

Contact
hvonsonntag@eurosite.org

Hans von Sonntag is a father of two, a happy husband and an award-winning film director in the advertising industry.

He started his career in 1989 in Berlin when the wall broke down as a news cameraman at 22. While directing and shooting for international companies and campaigns, he always tried to keep in touch with social issues by supporting campaigns of UNESCO, UNEP, private CSR activities and many more.

Today, the most pressing social issue is the exacerbating climate warming and the looming breakdown of habitats. If that is not appropriately tackled soon, humanity’s future is dire, and so is the lot of everyone else living on planet earth. Please fill in the species you like most.

Hans focuses on political campaigning for climate protection and environmental restoration, which he considers the same. He believes everyone can make a difference and thinks of Eurosite as a great place to meet like-minded people and have exciting opportunities.

You can check out his thoughts here and his work here.

“Sticking to Andy Warhol, I love to do things over and over again. And why is that? Because I want to know how the outcome will be this time around.”

Contact
mvidal@eurosite.org

Education
BSc Environmental Biology (Land), University of Lisbon, Portugal
MSc Environmental Biology (Behavioural Ecology) Minor in Business Management, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Experience
Monica is an Ecologist from Portugal with broad experience in the Environmental sector. She started in several small conservation NGOs in Portugal, South Africa, and Greece. After spending a year in the Greek mountains, she returned to the Netherlands where she worked as a Project Assistant for Wageningen University & Research, and as a Field Surveyor in the private sector. In 2022, she joined the LIFE programme team as a Trainee in the European Commission and is now working with Eurosite on the implementation of several EU funded projects since 2023.

“I believe there is a way to interact in harmony with Nature and acknowledge the complexity of the systems we are part of.”

Contact
ldankaart@eurosite.org

Education:
Bachelor, Accounting, Fontys Hogeschool Eindhoven
Master of Arts, English Language and Culture

I started my career as an English teacher but soon switched to administration. After more than a decade working as an assistant accountant for various accounting firms, I switched again, this time to Eurosite.
As an assistant to Carlijn, I work on the organisation’s day-to-day financial and personnel administration and financial reporting for Eurosite’s projects.
The world of international nature conservation is new to me. Still, it is gratifying to work for the Eurosite secretariat, which helps its members to improve nature on a European scale. The positive energy and enthusiasm are inspiring.

Contact
iracinska@eurosite.org

Inga holds a Master’s in Biology from the University of Latvia and has received extensive training in project management, wetland management, and communication skills from various institutions across Europe. Inga has over 25 years of expertise in biodiversity conservation, environmental project management, and nature restoration. Inga’s career began as a research assistant at the University of Latvia, after which she transitioned to the Latvian Fund for Nature, where she managed various EU LIFE Nature projects aimed at habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation. Throughout her career, Inga has excelled in managing large, cross-border conservation initiatives focusing on habitat restoration, be those grasslands or wetlands. Inga joined Eurosite in 2023, with a challenge to develop Eurosite Conservation Finance Accelerator. Fluent in Latvian, English, Russian, and (a bit of) Swedish, she brings an international perspective to her work, fostering collaboration between stakeholders, decision-makers, and environmental organizations.