Sunday 25 November 2007

ABOUT US

Laura Capdevila-Argüelles - See CV
Biologist she is specialized in Ecology and Environmental Technology. After the degree, keen on diving, she focused her work on the study of the marine benthos in the Cantabrian Sea. Later she took a stage at the University of Concepción in Chile developing her own project on the Chilean arachnofauna. She combined her activity as biologist with the work as expert in mountain sports and climbing another of her passions. Since 1998 she works on Invasive Alien Species within the GEIB Grupo Especialista en Invasiones Biológicas which is currently chairing. She worked as consultant for the Spanish Ministry of Environment and the Council of Europe on subjects related to biological invasions. She is author of the National Action Plan on IAS commissioned by the Spanish Ministry of Environment. As consultant of the Council of Europe she carried out the follow up of the implementation of the European Strategy on IAS in the countries which are part of the Bern Convention. In 2004 she worked as technical assistant in the Republic of Moldova on problems arising from species introductions. She participates actively in several international forums with outstanding speeches to many meetings of the Bern Convention (Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats) as expert of the Council of Europe. She is member of the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN, the Group of Experts on Invasive Alien Species of the Bern Convention (Council of Europe) and the Expert Group 5 ‘Trends in invasive alien species’ (SEBI 2010).

Bernardo Zilletti - See CV
Biologist, he got the degree in Biological Sciences in 1993 from the University of Florence (Italy). After the degree he spent four months in New Zealand working as a volunteer in several centres of the Department of Conservation (DoC) (1993-1994) and other three months in 1994 contracted for the “Conservation of Dana Wildlands” Project. In 1996 he started his PhD in Spain at the University of León granted by the University of Florence.
Since 1998 he works on Invasive Alien Species within the GEIB Grupo Especialista en Invasiones Biológicas dealing with subjects related to IAS prevention and policies design to halt them. He worked as consultant of the Council of Europe and the Spanish Ministry of Environment participating in several international meetings and collaborating in the writing up of the Spanish Action Plan on IAS. He is member of the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN, Group of Experts on Invasive Alien Species of the Bern Convention (Council of Europe) and the Expert Group 5 ‘Trends in invasive alien species’ (SEBI 2010).