Meet Marco Lambertini, Convener of the Nature Positive Initiative and guest speaker for the new Executive Certificate in Nature-Positive Economy, starting on 24 June.
Could you tell us more about your professional experience?
I am the Convener of the Nature Positive Initiative and the former Director General of WWF International from 2014 to 2022, where I also served as a Special Envoy in 2023. Before my tenure at WWF, I was Global Director of Network and Programme and, later, CEO at BirdLife International.
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to engage in diverse activities spanning ecological field research, high-level advocacy, international policy development, nature reserve management, integrated conservation and development projects, environmental education, NGO development, communications, and campaigning. These experiences have taken me to numerous countries around the globe, visiting wonderful natural places as well as ecosystems destroyed by human activities, and meeting many political and corporate leaders, organisations and communities.
I’m honoured to contribute to various esteemed organisations and initiatives. I am a China Council (CCICED) member and sit on the Board of Directors for the Fondation Prince Albert III de Monaco. I have served as co-chair and now as a Board member of the Belt and Road Initiative Greening Coalition. Additionally, I am a founding member of the Nature Action Agenda and the Friends of Ocean Action at WEF. My past roles include being an outgoing member of the UN Global Compact Board and a former co-focal point for UN DESA’s Community of Ocean Action on Marine/Coastal Ecosystems. I’ve also served as co-chair of the Global Commons Alliance and am currently co-chair of the Science Council of Nature Action 100.
What do you like about passing on your knowledge?
What I love about passing on my knowledge is helping committed individuals and particularly young people tackle today’s most pressing environmental challenges and seize opportunities. I hope I can inspire action and determination in others. Learning becomes a gateway to infusing passion and instilling purpose, fostering a brighter future for all.
How can your session help the participants in their learning journey?
This session aims to help participants see and position today’s environmental crisis as an existential challenge but also an opportunity for our future. Addressing it is the best chance we have to address all the most pressing challenges society faces today, from anger to poverty, equality, and health.
In your opinion, what are the key challenges to drive impactful social and economic transformation for sustainable prosperity?
We need to rethink our relationship with Nature and the Planet. From today’s exploitative and anthropocentric vision of the world – driven by the delusional idea that we can exploit wastefully and destructively the Earth’s systems without consequences – to one based on the proper understanding of connections and dependencies, inspiring the need to embrace peace, not war with Nature and transition from a ‘nature-negative’ society and economy to a ‘nature-positive one’ for our and our children’s benefits and all life on Earth.
Join us on 24 June and exchange with highly professional experts from diverse sectors. Apply now
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