The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) Board of Directors has named Pablo Iturralde Barba, an active
member since 2006 who has been serving as the organization's treasurer, as its new president. Iturralde is a native of Quito and has held a
number of executive positions at Ecuadorian firms, environmental NGOs,
and health organizations.
A lifelong lover of the planet and its
natural and cultural diversity, he is currently a university professor
and project consultant.
More than 60 members of CDF gathered together on 12 November from all five continents to hold the Foundation's thirty-eighth General Assembly in Puerto Ayora.
Over a three-day period, the membership, executive team, and special guests debated crucial conservation and sustainable development issues and were informed of the Annual Operating Plan and the projects CDF will be carrying out as of January 2010. A review was presented of CDF's work over the last 50 years that highlighted the important contributions the organization has made and continues to make in its mission to advise the Ecuadorian government and local institutions on archipelago management based on sound scientific research.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, CDF's executive director, Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez, expressed his complete satisfaction with the success of the annual general meeting and its unequivocal endorsement of CDF's new strategic directions. He reaffirmed the need to face the new threats and challenges for Galapagos and the Foundation in the endeavor to advance conservation and sustainability. Dr. Lopez stressed that "our work now enters the most important and challenging phase in our history. Galapagos is at a crossroads, with a narrow window of opportunity to act decisively in setting the archipelago on a sustainable path. The next few years will be critical."
The other officers of the CDF Board of Directors are Peter Kramer, vice president; Silvia Harcourt, secretary; and Barbara West, treasurer.
photo: Charles Darwin foundation
More than 60 members of CDF gathered together on 12 November from all five continents to hold the Foundation's thirty-eighth General Assembly in Puerto Ayora.
Over a three-day period, the membership, executive team, and special guests debated crucial conservation and sustainable development issues and were informed of the Annual Operating Plan and the projects CDF will be carrying out as of January 2010. A review was presented of CDF's work over the last 50 years that highlighted the important contributions the organization has made and continues to make in its mission to advise the Ecuadorian government and local institutions on archipelago management based on sound scientific research.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, CDF's executive director, Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez, expressed his complete satisfaction with the success of the annual general meeting and its unequivocal endorsement of CDF's new strategic directions. He reaffirmed the need to face the new threats and challenges for Galapagos and the Foundation in the endeavor to advance conservation and sustainability. Dr. Lopez stressed that "our work now enters the most important and challenging phase in our history. Galapagos is at a crossroads, with a narrow window of opportunity to act decisively in setting the archipelago on a sustainable path. The next few years will be critical."
The other officers of the CDF Board of Directors are Peter Kramer, vice president; Silvia Harcourt, secretary; and Barbara West, treasurer.
