Guido Beauchez is an all-weathered, versatile manager and fundraiser with an extensive management and consulting background in both the profit as well as the not-for-profit sector. Over the last 20 years he directed one start-up, two musea and a charity organisation. As the chairman of the True Nature Foundation, he is in charge of strategy, programme management, fundraising and business development.

Arend de Haas is a conservation ecologist with over 18 years of experience with wildlife and landscape conservation, ecotourism and sustainable community development. His research and field experience areas include protected area development, wildlife ecology, microbiology, and conservation strategies incl. community based conservation, capacity building, GIS and remote sensing, wildlife tracking, forest biodiversity and vegetation mapping in Africa, Asia and Europe. 

Marijke Brune’s background is in international finance at ING Bank. Based in Amsterdam, Moscow and Paris, for over twenty years, she arranged large transactions in and with Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. As of 2000, Marijke started her own consultancy, SIVC Advisory Services, aiming at capacity building programmes, micro- and inclusive finance for clients such as the World Bank, UN, EBRD, EIB and G20. The last years her work increasingly focuses on sustainable energy, carbon sequestration, preventive health and environment.

Hans Lenstra (Utrecht University, Netherlands) investigates the molecular-genetic diversity of domestic animals and wildlife such as cattle, sheep, goats, water buffalo and horses. He has worked for 35 years on molecular evolution, eukaryotic gene structure, genome characterization and molecular diversity of livestock and wildlife. His present research interests include the molecular diversity of cattle, sheep, goat, water buffalo, horse and elephants by analysis of mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA variation, microsatellites and high-density SNP datasets.

Mark Hoyer, veterinarian, qualified in 1985 from Utrecht University the Netherlands with specialization in Farm Animal and Tropical Veterinary Medicine. Both as a student and as a professional, Mark spent five years in various countries in Africa, of which four years as a lecturer at the Veterinary Faculty in Harare, Zimbabwe. After having worked for eight years in private practice and fifteen years as the Head Veterinarian in Royal Artis Zoo, Amsterdam; Mark now focuses entirely on his passion: wild animal medicine. Currently, he is the veterinarian and veterinary advisor in natural grazing projects with European bison, wild horses, cattle and deer; a trainer in wildlife immobilization and anesthesia for wildlife professionals and a guest lecturer at the Faculty Vet. Science at the University of Utrecht.

Jalbert Kuijper is a curious, broad minded and interested board member, specialised in business strategy, business development, leadership, coaching, innovation and circular business models. Before joining True Nature Foundation, he previously acted as director business development & innovation at WWF Netherlands.

Wietse studied land and water use at Wageningen University, and has worked in EU-funded, cross-border and transnational projects across Europe for over 30 years. He is now specifically focused on nature-based solutions towards climate mitigation and adaptation. Currently he is working with TNF on a (water, paludiculture, nature) project in the Neman/Nemunas delta.

Arend de Haas is a conservation ecologist with over 18 years of experience with wildlife and landscape conservation, ecotourism and sustainable community development. His research and field experience areas include protected area development, wildlife ecology, microbiology, and conservation strategies incl. community based conservation, capacity building, GIS and remote sensing, wildlife tracking, forest biodiversity and vegetation mapping in Africa, Asia and Europe. 

Marijke Brune’s background is in international finance at ING Bank. Based in Amsterdam, Moscow and Paris, for over twenty years, she arranged large transactions in and with Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. As of 2000, Marijke started her own consultancy, SIVC Advisory Services, aiming at capacity building programmes, micro- and inclusive finance for clients such as the World Bank, UN, EBRD, EIB and G20. The last years her work increasingly focuses on issues such as sustainable energy, carbon sequestration, preventive health and wildlife & conservation.

Luis Martínez is an Environmental Educator and teacher in diverse fields of (agro) ecology. Luis collaborates with and has founded several associations, such as the Riojan Association for Environmental Education and the local Seeds Network. He has a Bachelor in Biology, Master degree in Conservation and Evolution of Biodiversity, and an Executive Master in Business Administration. 

Ecologist Rene Krawczynski, a water buffalo expert from the Brandenburg Technical University in Cottbus.

Daniel Schinteie was born in the Carpathian Mountains in Western Romania, one of the wildest places in Europe. He has always been passionate about wildlife and wilderness. Daniel has a Master’s degree in Tourism Development and Improvement from West University of Timișoara. He has a strong interest in developing the ecological and ecotourism potential of protected areas in Romania.

Sergej Ivanov is a veterinarian and agroecologist, since 2002 deeply involved in conservation of several Balkan indigenous livestock breeds. Based in South Eastern Serbia, in Dimitrovgrad, Sergej and his family are running a donkey dairy and a sheep farm. Most of his activities are directed toward preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of Stara Planina Mountain and the area around which is exposed to an intensive depopulation process, disappearance of traditional farming practices, natural succession and degradation of biodiversity.

Bram Geers is a curious, creative and very knowledgeable biologist, researcher and entrepeneur, who received his masters title cum laude from Leiden University in 2015.  He is keen to work on the intersection of different disciplines, to come up with new scientific insights, as well as innovative business concepts. Before joining True Nature Foundation as Researcher Nature Based Solutions, he worked on the collection digitisation at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden and as research coordinator at BioArt Laboratories in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Reindert Braam studied at the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences and gained experience as a thatcher (reed warbler) in Friesland, the most northern province of the Netherlands where many lakes can be found fringed by reed beds. Reindert has done an internship with TNF and the Centre for Regional Studies (CRS) in Ukraine as he wants to specialise in all aspects of sustainable reed production and applications. Reindert had an extraordinary experience at the Kartal Lake and Kahul Lake in Orlovka and surrounding wetlands, where he studied the foraging behaviour of reintroduced water buffalo and their impact on the wetland ecosystem.

Maurits Groen is a Dutch green entrepeneur (Wakawaka, Kipster, Greenem), climate activist and publisher of the Dutch edition of Paul Hawken’s “Drawdown, the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming”.

Michael Hofreiter’s research activities focus on the effect environmental changes have on genetic diversity, adaptation and population dynamics in animals. He is especially interested in the use of ancient DNA sequences to directly observe changes in the genetic make-up of populations. Using this approach, population replacements and migrations can be detected that could not be deciphered using traditional methodologies.

In summer 2013, journalist and campaigner George Monbiot published Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea and Human Life. Part personal journal, part essay on natural science and wildlife (and on our own wild side), the book follows Monbiot’s efforts to re-engage with nature. He shows how, by restoring and rewilding our damaged ecosystems on land and at sea, we can bring wonder back into our lives, and lays out a new, positive environmental vision, in which nature is allowed to find its own way. 

David Burney is a Professor of Conservation Paleobiology at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (Kaua`i). His research has focused on paleoecological studies, causes of extinction, and preservation of endangered species. A paleoecologist and conservation biologist whose lifelong interest has been the interactions between nature and humanity, Dr. Burney has over 40 years of practical experience in conservation.

Josh Donlan is the Founder and Director of Advanced Conservation Strategies. He leads the organization by building interdisciplinary teams to tackle environmental challenges in novel ways. Josh is Visiting Fellow in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University and a Visiting Professor at University of South Paris. He has over fifteen years of experience in international environmental conservation. 

Equine photographer Manuela Stefan travels worldwide to capture the spirit of the horse. Her love for travel and horses has brought her to spectacular locations in France, Romania, Canada and the U.S. The beauty and majesty of horses trigger her creativity to a great extent. She is on a mission to reveal their true nature and spirit to the rest of the world the best way she can.