News from Birdlife International

[Peter]

Change at the top

Dr. Marco Lambertini has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of BirdLife International by the BirdLife Global Council and took up this position on 1 March 2009.

For the last 10 years, Marco has been Director of Network and Programme at BirdLife. Prior to this he was Director of LIPU (Italian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife in Italy).
"To be at the helm of the fantastic conservation alliance that is BirdLife International, is a dream come true. This is a great opportunity to continue to strengthen our unique Partnership of more than 100 conservation organisations", commented Marco. "BirdLife's unique governance unites its Partners around a common mission, vision and strategy. The membership base allows delivery of conservation action and effective advocacy at national and local level, while also creating powerful opportunities internationally, to influence the global agenda."

Marco Lambertini was born in Livorno, Italy, fifty years ago. During his career, he has been involved in all aspects of conservation; from research, policy and advocacy to site and species conservation. He also has extensive experience in project management, community-based conservation, campaigning and fundraising, and environmental education.
 
Marco has been passionate about wildlife and conservation since he was a child. He started as a volunteer with WWF and LIPU. In 1981, he successfully managed Italy's first birdwatching campaign for LIPU. This triggered a major shift in Italian attitudes and practices towards birds and wildlife. Under Marco's leadership of LIPU, the organisation ran ambitious and successful national campaigns to reduce hunting pressure and increase the number of protected areas, whilst become a powerful advocate for conservation.

Over the last ten years under Marco's co-ordination of network development, BirdLife has developed into one of the most influential, international, non-governmental conservation organisations, substantially growing its programmes and expanding its network to cover over 110 countries/territories.

"I am delighted to congratulate Marco Lambertini on his appointment as the next BirdLife Chief Executive. Marco brings enormous knowledge, passion and skills to his new role. He is deeply committed to conservation, and has great energy and enthusiasm for this amazing organization", commented outgoing CEO, Dr Mike Rands.

In his announcement to the BirdLife Partnership, Peter Schei, Chairman of BirdLife's council said "I know you will all want to join me in congratulating Marco on his appointment to this vital role within BirdLife International."
 "These are challenging times for nature conservation, with resources under considerable pressure. The BirdLife Partnership should be preparing for difficult times ahead, counting on the professionalism and resilience of its large network of Partners. We will have to focus on our key conservation programmes and innovative fundraising, but through our passion and commitment to conservation and with the continued support of our members, supporters and donors we will succeed in further advancing our conservation agenda", Marco concludes.
"I am looking forward to providing continuity to the inspiring leadership provided by Mike Rands. Together with the BirdLife Partnership, we will continue to develop our innovative science work on climate change, on birds as indicators of sustainability, and on emerging BirdLife programmes like Preventing Extinctions, Forests of Hope, the BirdLife Flyways campaign and the Global Seabird programme.”

Peter