IUCN - The World Conversation Union

Purifcació Canals, Spain, was born and resides in Tarragona. She is a Doctor of Biology and currently directs the international sector of the Taller d’Enginyeria Ambiental S.L, a business concern specializing in environmental consultancy and projects. She is Professor of Aeronautical Medicine and the Environment at the Centre for Graduate Studies in Aviation of the Rovira I Virgili University in Tarragona and Associate Professor of Physiology in the Faculty of Medicine at the same university. Since 1986 she has been actively involved with national and international conservation organizations and is President of the League for the Defence of Natural Heritage (DEPANA) (Catalunya) and member of a number of consultative bodies in Spain and France. She has been linked to IUCN since 1992 through the Spanish Committee for IUCN of which she was Vice President and through IUCN’s Commission on Education and Communication. She has worked in education programmes and directed projects for the management and conservation of natural areas especially in the coastal and mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. She also has broad experience in international forums, is the author of various scientific works published in the international press and of many studies and articles on environmental topics. She speaks Catalan and Spanish as first languages and has French and English as fluent working languages. In February 2005, Purificació Canals was appointed a Vice President of IUCN.

Alistair Gammell, United Kingdom, has a wide experience of international conservation issues, having been professionally involved in international nature conservation for over 30 years. He is currently Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) International Programme, which spends about €7 million annually supporting international conservation work, primarily in Central/Southern Europe, Africa, the Indian sub-continent, Central Asia, Indonesia and in the UK’s Overseas Territories. Most of this money supports the conservation work of local Birdlife partners (local NGOs). He is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and of its European Steering Committee and member of the UK Committee for IUCN and of its executive. Mr Gammell is also a member of Birdlife International's European Committee and has been instrumental in helping to develop Birdlife International's Important Bird Areas Programme. He is actively involved with the European Union's Birds and Habitats Directives and in much other international conservation legislation.

Manfred Niekisch, Germany, holds a PhD in Biology and is Professor for International Nature Conservation at the University of Greifswald. He combines a strong scientific background with much practical field work and has wide international experience as NGO representative and adviser to Ministries and Development Agencies.

Manfred Niekisch holds several Honorary Positions, e.g. Vice-President of the German League for Nature and Environment (DNR), Board Member of the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the European Centre for Nature Conservation, President of Oro Verde, Foundation for the Conservation of Tropical Forests; Member of the Comité Científico Externo, Fundación Natura, and Honorary Member of Fundación Humedales, Colombia. He serves as President of the Scientific Council for Species Conservation of the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and is also Co-editor of the Journal for Nature Conservation.

Manfred Niekisch was elected IUCN Regional Councillor for West Europe in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and is Chair of the Programme and Policy Committee. He is fluent in German, English, Italian and Spanish.