Introducing the ILCN's four new Steering Committee members

The ILCN recently welcomed four new members to our Steering Committee.  All four have had distinguished careers as practitioners and researchers in the field of land conservation, and we are excited for the wisdom and contributions they will bring to the network.  Brief bios for the four new Steering members are included below:

Mr. Kiragu MWANGI has worked seventeen years in the BirdLife International Partnership. From 2001 to 2005, he was based with Nature Kenya – BirdLife’s partner in Kenya. He has now spent thirteen years working for BirdLife International, based in Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. Currently, Kiragu is a Senior Capacity Development Manager at BirdLife. In this role, the focus is on empowering people with capacity development initiatives and projects targeted to individuals for professional development, organizations and systems across the 117 BirdLife International partners. He is very interested in working with people to develop capacity to deliver conservation projects. Capacity for Conservation’s website is one of the examples of work Kiragu has participated in to harness critical information for improving capabilities of individuals and organizations working in biodiversity conservation.  Kiragu is also very interested in knowledge management, especially for critical areas affecting people and biodiversity. This has led to developing information platforms for conservation practitioners interested in engaging in dialogue with stakeholders at site, sub-national and national levels on the links between biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and climate change. Kiragu has a BSc in Natural Resources Management and an MSc in Applied Ecology and Conservation. He is a PRINCE2 and MSP certified practitioner and foundation levels respectively, both accredited to APMG International. Through his work Kiragu has travel to 29 countries and remotely helped with conservation projects in another 26 countries all over different regions of the world. 

Ms. Candice STEVENS manages BirdLife South Africa’s Policy & Advocacy Programme which aims at mainstreaming biodiversity conservation priorities into both the public and private sectors, with a focus on biodiversity finance. She is a tax specialist that has introduced the first biodiversity tax incentive into the South African Protected Areas Network through her management of the Fiscal Benefits Project. Her work is comprised of advancing and testing innovative biodiversity finance solutions and policy integration relating to protected area expansion, including Privately Protected Areas and OECMs. Candice has a background in both law and commerce as well as experience in protected area expansion and other land conservation mechanisms, biodiversity finance, environmental law and policy-making on financial incentives. Candice Stevens (from Birdlife South Africa) and the South African Government (represented by the Department of Environmental Affairs) were recently awarded the Pathfinder Award Special Commendation for their innovative work on biodiversity tax incentives. 

Dr. JIN Tong works as the Science Director in The Nature Conservancy's China Program, where she is responsible for leading a team to provide strategic and scientific support to conservation programs to demonstrate the science-based approach of TNC. Her expertise lies in protected area planning and management with special focus on the land trust reserve model in China. Besides this, she is quite experienced in wildlife ecology and primatology, as well as community-based conservation methodologies. Jin serves as the China franchise of the Conservation Coaches Network (CCNet). Jin has been with TNC for nearly ten years and initially led the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey conservation project and participated in the national park pilot project. Later, she oversaw the monitoring, research and conservation planning for the first land trust reserve in China and accumulated abundant experience in protected area planning, management and biological surveys and monitoring.  Jin holds a Ph.D. in Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology from Peking University, where she studied the socio-ecology and conservation biology of a critically endangered primate species in China.


Mr. YANG Fangyi is the Partnership Development Director at the Paradise International Foundation in China.  He graduated from Yunnan University and Gottingen University, Obtained Bachelor’s degree of Economics and Master’s degree of Forestry respective. He has worked with Conservation International since year 2004, playing the role of focal points of Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund which is the first Fund in China to fund civil society groups to work for biodiversity conservation. From Year 2011, Fangyi has worked with SHANSHUI conservation center, which is a local conservation group and he has lead the forest team to design and implement the Mekong Fund. From 2013, Fangyi has started 3 years career with Alibaba Foundation and design the funding program including Qingyuan Initiative (Pollution Prevention Action by NGOs), Nature Education and Environmental Philanthropy Venture program. Prior to serve as the director of Partnership Program at Paradise International Foundation, Fangyi has served as senior researcher at China Global Philanthropy Institute, leading the team to research on social finance and impact investing.

ILCN director Jim Levitt speaks at session on private land conservation at the European Parliament in Brussels
 
On February 5, ILCN Director Jim Levitt spoke at an event titled, “Private landowners, what role for Europe’s nature” at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.  The event was hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz FLORENZ, President of the Biodiversity, Hunting and Countryside Intergroup of the European Parliament in collaboration with the European Landowners Organization (ELO). 
 
The event focused on the potential of privately-owned land to contribute to the EU’s nature conservation goals.  Topics covered included how private land conservation can complement public sector biodiversity conservation and the use of conservation planning tools including conservation easements, covenants, and tax and fiscal benefits.
 
Levitt spoke on the context for private land conservation in the United States and around the world, including the social and economic impacts of land conservation, as well as the role that land may play in the fight against climate change.  He also talked about the history of the land trust movement in the US and recent conservation successes in Europe and around the world, like the newly created Ruta de los Parques in Chile. 
 
Other speakers on the panel from civil society included Tilmann Disselhoff from NABU in Germany, who also serves as Coordinator for the European Private Land Conservation Network (ELCN), Marianne Kilberg, Head of The Nature Conservancy’s European Office, and Ann-Sophie Mueller of the European Landowners Organization (ELO).  Speakers from the public sector included Angelo Salsi, Head of Unit for the LIFE Program at the European Commission, Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Natural Capital at the EC’s Directorate General for the Environment and Karl-Heinz Florenz, Member of the EU Parliament from Germany and head of the Intergroup.

Canadian Land Trust Alliance passes revised Standards and Practices
 
The Board of the Canadian Land Trust Alliance recently approved a revised version of the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices after a fifteen-month consultation process.  The Standards and Practices are primarily designed for land trusts with charitable status with the aim of providing guidance on how to build effective conservation programs and uphold public trust.  The Standards and Practices also provide helpful information for other organizations or government agencies that own or steward land or hold conservation agreements for the benefit of the public.  In addition, the Revised Standards and Practices were put together with the goal of being more readable, accessible, and up-to-date with current knowledge and guidance.  More information and the complete Revised Standards and Practices can be found here.   

ELCN Workshop on Cooperation for Private Land Conservation

Sighisoara, Romania

"The third International workshop of the ELCN will deal with the topic of “Cooperation for Private Land Conservation”. The workshop, which will take place in Shighisoara, Romania from 3-5 June 2019, will explore examples of successful cooperative models for private land conservation. It will tackle the question of how conservationists, landowners, land users, public authorities and other stakeholders can best work together to foster private land conservation."

Seventh Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land Conservation

"Looking to stay informed on conservation law? Interested in crafting practical legal solutions? Join us for the Land Trust Alliance's Seventh Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land Conservation June 13-14, 2019, at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. This Symposium is the ideal opportunity for attorneys, appraisers, accountants, experienced land trust professionals and law school faculty."

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"The 13th annual Conservation Finance Boot Camp will be held June 24-28th, 2019, at Portland State University in Portland, OR. The Boot Camp is a week-long, intensive training course to help mid-career professionals utilize innovative and effective financing strategies for land and resource conservation, restoration, and stewardship."

"Join us this year in Raleigh, NC, October 17-19, 2019, for a gathering packed with diverse topics to explore and great colleagues and friends to learn and share with. Rally has all of the resources you want to take your conservation skills further."

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