Our team

‒ Director of the IUCN Regional Office for Europe ‒

Boris Erg is Director of the IUCN Regional Office for Europe (EURO). Boris’ professional career spans 25 years focusing on nature policy, system-level planning, and governance and management of natural resources. He has worked at all levels, spanning international organisations, governments, and non-state actors. Throughout his career, Boris has actively promoted transformative solutions for growing societal and environmental challenges.

‒ Nature-based Solutions Officer ‒

Vittorio is a Project Officer in the Nature-based Solutions Team at the IUCN European Regional Office in Brussels, where he works on biodiversity initiatives at the intersection of social and natural sciences. He manages several European projects that advance Nature-based Solutions as effective approaches to support biodiversity, climate resilience and community well-being, with a particular focus on urban and peri-urban environments. He also contributes to mainstreaming and scaling up NbS across the Region by engaging stakeholders and participating in key policy fora.

Vittorio is an active member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Commission on Ecosystem Management and works to mobilise the IUCN network, knowledge and tools for positive environmental and social change. He is a conservation professional with experience bridging science, policy and practice on topics ranging from urban biodiversity and pollinator protection to conservation planning and invasive species management. He holds an MSc in Sustainable Development and is passionate about field naturalism and connecting people with nature.
 

‒ Senior Officer, Restoration ‒

As Nature Restoration Senior Officer at IUCN’s Brussels office, Claire contributes to advancing the development and implementation of the European Union’s Nature Restoration Regulation. She supports Member States in preparing their national restoration plans and works at disseminating best practices across Europe. Claire also represents IUCN’s position within the European Commission’s Nature Restoration Regulation Expert Group, ensuring the organization’s voice is heard in policy discussions. 

Prior to joining IUCN, Claire held various positions in French public institutions, focusing notably on marine conservation, as well as in the private sector. This diverse background enables her to approach conservation and restoration challenges from multiple perspectives. Claire holds a Master’s degree in Management.

‒ Food Systems Officer, Natural Resources ‒

Blandine supports the delivery of IUCN’s food systems work as part of the Natural Resources team. Her work aims to promote sustainable and resilient food systems in the future, focusing on EU policies and projects related to the agriculture, biodiversity, and climate nexus.  

Prior to joining the IUCN office in Brussels, she worked with the European Coordination Via Campesina and with Euromontana, where she coordinated policy and advocacy activities with mountain stakeholders across the network.

Blandine holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and European Affairs from Sciences Po Strasbourg and has a long-standing interest in agricultural policy.

‒ Senior Officer – Natural Resources ‒

As the Senior Officer for Natural Resources at IUCN Brussels’ office, Elodie engages with European stakeholders to gather and share best practices towards the safeguard of nature and biodiversity among agriculture, food security, water and soil health domains. Supported by her team, she builds bridges between scientific, EU funded projects results and agri-environmental policies, underlying the link between the preservation and restoration of ecosystem services with resilience of food systems.

She represents IUCN position and voice in various EU platforms, Expert Groups and fora, such as the Advisory Group on Sustainability of Food Systems of the European Commission (AGSFS) or conversations at the Forum for the Future of Agriculture. Elodie can capitalize on previous years of experience in European policy and EU funded project implementation in Brussels within the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO- members of IUCN). She holds a MSc in International Sustainability Management and holds a deep interest in economics for nature and biodiversity.

‒ Senior Officer, Nature-based Solutions ‒

Natalia coordinates the implementation of the European Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Hub at IUCN’s European Regional Office in Bonn, advancing efforts to scale up NbS across Europe. Her work focuses on fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and partnerships that promote the integration of nature-based approaches into policy, planning, and practice. She also contributes to strengthening international cooperation by engaging with other IUCN NbS Hubs to facilitate cross-regional learning and collaboration.

She is an environmental policy professional with over a decade of experience in climate adaptation, urban development, and environmental governance. Before joining IUCN, Natalia worked at Ecologic Institute in Berlin, where she led EU-funded projects on nature-based solutions and climate adaptation in cities and coordinated the International Development Team.

Previously, she served with the Government of Bogotá and the National Planning Department of Colombia, where she contributed to the implementation of environmental and climate policies, land-use planning, and regional development strategies. Natalia holds a Master’s degree in Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Development from King’s College London and a dual bachelor’s degree in political science and urban management and development.

‒ Biodiversity Policy Officer ‒

Tommaso works for both the Centre for Policy and Law and for the European Regional Office. In Europe, he supports IUCN’s European policy positioning, focusing on the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. He acts as focal point at the European office for the IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas team, and he’s a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas.

At the Centre for Policy and Law (CPL), he supports IUCN’s Permanent Observer mission to the United Nations in New York City, following the nature aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and supports the secretariat of the High Ambition Coalition for the BBNJ Agreement. At the international level, he also works to strengthen policy coordination between the CPL and IUCN’s regional offices, in particular with the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Tommaso holds a Bachelor’s degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences at University of Trieste, and a Master in Environmental Sciences with a specialisation on Sustainable Development Diplomacy at Wageningen University & Research.

‒ Senior Officer, Biodiversity Finance ‒

Thomas Freisinger leads work related to biodiversity financing in the EU, focussing on discussions with regards to the Multiannual Financial Framework, Nature Credits and the processes to develop National Biodiversity Finance Plans (BIOFIN). 

Before joining IUCN, Thomas worked on similar topics (e.g funding mechanisms, safeguards in EU funds) for an environmental organisation in Brussels. Thomas studied political sciences, European affairs and political sociology in France and Germany.

‒ Junior Officer, Restoration ‒

Alessandro supports the delivery of IUCN’s work on nature restoration within the European policy context, contributing to the implementation of relevant projects, with a focus on the EU Nature Restoration Regulation’s implementation and national restoration plans monitoring. He also represents the Nature Restoration Team at events and supports the organisation of discussions with external stakeholders.

Before joining IUCN, Alessandro gathered experience in climate communications while working for the OECD Environment communications team.  He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po Paris and is passionate about climate adaptation as well as Small Island Developing States.
 

‒ Membership and Outreach Officer ‒ 

Eoghan (Owen) Kelly, from Ireland, is a Membership & Outreach Officer for IUCN Europe and East Europe & Central Asia regions. He works with the 450+ member organisations in those regions to ensure their IUCN membership experience is fulfilled. Identifying and implementing engagement strategies is also a core part of his work.

With a business, sustainability, and international affairs background, he previously worked for 9 years at the Council of Europe, notably with the secretariat of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

‒ Nature Restoration Officer ‒

Based in IUCN’s Brussels office, Domen supports IUCN’s portfolio on nature restoration in the context of the European Union. Prior to joining IUCN, he worked on nature conservation in Slovenia, contributing to an international project on World Heritage beech forests, and supporting the management of the Natura 2000 network. More recently, he also collaborated with UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. He holds two master’s degrees, one in Ecology and Biodiversity, and another in Environmental Policy.

– Senior Officer, Nature-based Solutions –

 Zuzana is a Senior Nature-based Solutions Officer at IUCN European office and has over 10 years of experience in project management and implementation of EU environmental and agricultural policy. She has a strong interest and passion for sustainable land use as well as for bringing more nature to urban landscapes. She is also an advocate for a nature-positive economy, emphasizing the vital role of nature for sustaining our livelihoods. At IUCN, Ms Lukacova manages NetworkNature project which gives her frequent opportunities to speak on the topic of Nature - based Solutions and their critical importance in dealing with biodiversity and climate crises.

‒ Senior Membership Engagement Officer ‒

Kostas is the Senior Membership Relations Officer, leading the membership services for the largest IUCN constituency globally in Europe, North and Central Asia for the past 13 years. He is based in the European Regional Office in Brussels, following 6 years in Belgrade at the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office.

He is tasked with strategy and planning, overseeing the development and unrolling of IUCN members recruitment, dynamic and systematic engagement with Members that increases Member satisfaction and Member retention. Closely collaborating and coordinating with the different components of the Union, ensuring seamless membership services all accross.

A Greek and British national, who previously worked for the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinating the largest humanitarian aid mission overseas, and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, as the speechwriter for the Head of Delegation. He has also gained significant field experience as an election observer in Africa, Asia, Caucasus, and Balkans. He holds a triple first degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and a master’s in international relations and European Studies from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.
 

‒ Junior Officer, Nature-based Solutions ‒

As a Junior Project Officer for Nature-based Solutions at IUCN Europe, Leon supports the implementation of several EU projects on NbS across different ecosystems by coordinating with partners, contributing to deliverables, and organising workshops and events. In several projects, we also develop communications and knowledge products to raise awareness of NbS among different audiences. 

Before this, he temporarily worked in both the IUCN BAK and NbS teams, on the Red List and then on various NbS projects, mainly in urban biodiversity and rewilding. Between studies, he worked at a forest research institution in Germany on biodiversity monitoring, conducting fieldwork and statistical analysis on various forest species. 
He holds a B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and an M.Sc. in Forest and Nature Management, with a focus on ecology, ecosystem assessment, and restoration, specifically in forest and urban contexts. 

‒  Agriculture Officer ‒ 

Facundo Odriozola supports the delivery of IUCN’s work on water and sustainable agriculture within the European policy context, contributing to the development and implementation of environmental strategies that foster biodiversity, water and soil health. He supports the water- and agriculture-related policy components of EU-funded projects, including their intersection with Nature-based Solutions and the IUCN Global Standard, and works closely with stakeholders across the environmental sectors to promote more resilient and sustainable ecosystems.

He is a legal and policy professional with expertise in environmental law, European policy, and natural resource governance. Prior to his current role, Facundo worked at the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in Bonn and at the Environment Ministry in Buenos Aires, where he supported the elaboration of environmental legislation, legal capacity building, and governance frameworks for biodiversity conservation.

Facundo holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Environmental Law.
 

‒ Junior Officer, EU Policy ‒

Zoë is part of IUCN’s Programme and Policy team in Brussels. In her role, she supports IUCN’s work on EU biodiversity policy, including work on protected areas, restoration, human–wildlife interactions, and other conservation-related priorities. Her responsibilities include programme coordination, policy monitoring and analysis, and supporting European office’s engagement in key policy fora and events. She also monitors EU environmental policy developments and facilitates internal communication within IUCN on these developments.

Before joining IUCN, Zoë gained experience through several initiatives and NGO projects, working on topics such as sustainability, environmental governance, and community-focused initiatives. She also specialised in Behaviour Change during her psychology studies, exploring humans’ connections and experiences with nature. She holds a MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation at Wageningen University, as well as a MSc in Behaviour Change from Radboud University, the Netherlands.