New presidency for the nature conservation association

2023-05-29 11:11:08

A breath of fresh air at the management level of the Conservation Union

Vienna (OTS) – New elections were held in Salzburg on May 27th as part of the general assembly of the Austrian Nature Conservation Union. The result: a fresh, competent and ambitious management team. The previous presidium, which has been committed to nature and the environment for many years, was duly thanked.

There are new faces at the head of the Austrian Nature Conservation Union: At the General Assembly on May 27, 2023, the Executive Committee, in which all state organizations and nature conservation youth are represented, elected university professor Dr. Thomas Wrbka as the new President. This replaces after 12 years Dr. Roman Turk at the top. Wrbka has been a member of the Nature Conservation Union since his student days in the early 1980s, and he has also been an active member of the board of the Lower Austria provincial group since 2016. “My vision for the nature conservation association is to grow continuously and to develop as a reliable partner for professional, future-oriented nature conservation work and a forum for all nature-loving people,” says the designated president of the nature conservation association. With the four newly elected Vice Presidents, the secretaries and financial officers, the new management team is complete. The ten-strong executive committee, which consists of seven newcomers, has now been elected for a total of four years as advocates for nature.

More women at the top

The fact that the board consists of 40 percent women for the first time is an essential step for the nature conservation association. With the biologists Mag.a Gudrun Fuss, Stefanie Pontasch, PhD and Dr.in Romana Ull as new vice presidents and Mag.a Anna Albert as deputy Finance Officer, the proportion of women in the Presidium of the Nature Conservation Union has been doubled.

Also new to the Executive Committee is Dr. Hans Neumayer, previously known far beyond Salzburg as a wild bee specialist, as an additional vice president and Alois Lang from Burgenland as deputy secretary. Finance officer Wolfgang Maislinger, secretary Dr. Friedrich Schwarz, as well as another presidential member Univ. Prof. Dr. Walter Hoedl.

Conservation: The voice that needs to be heard

The President and his team agree that there is a lot to do. The constant expansion of the nature protection areas, the demand for professional nature conservation work at all administrative levels are focal points that will be the focus in the future. “Conservation of nature is the best way to protect the climate – this clear message has not yet reached many people,” emphasizes President Wrbka. Nature conservation concerns are often played off against the topic of “renewable energy”, which means that important institutions such as the environmental ombudsman’s offices are increasingly weakened. “Here we have to take a clear and unyielding position,” said the new President of the Nature Conservation Union.