During the four weeks, experienced trainers and facilitators will provide you with knowledge, skills and practical experience required in the day-to-day conservation project management work. They are professionals and practitioners of either conservation related organisations or institutions, private trainers with a background from the conservation scene and also from the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main or a variety of other institutions.
Martin Davies has dedicated his life to helping make conservation efforts effective. He worked for 35 years for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in both its national and international divisions. He has extensive experience in securing funding for conservation projects. Since his retirement Martin Davies has run his own company, specialising in helping with conservation project planning and in training aspiring young conservationists.
In partnernship with Nick Folkard of the RSPB, Martin Davies will provide a six-day course for Spring School students examining crucial techniques to plan, manage and fund a conservation project
Timm Eichenberg is a professor at the University of Applied Sciences Weserbergland in the fields of project management and human resource management. He is also the program director for the university’s General Management MBA program, which focuses on sustainable management and digitalisation. Furthermore, he supports companies in increasing their project management competencies and has a professional background in the energy industry.
Timm Eichenberg is certified as project manager by PMI (Project Management Professional) and will lead a one-day course on theoretical project management at the Frankfurt Spring School.
As head of the project development and support unit for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Nick Folkard is an expert in project planning, fundraising and capacity building.
In partnership with Martin Davies of the Parides Ecological and Training Consultancy, Nick Folkard will provide a six-day course for Spring School students examining crucial techniques to plan, manage and fund a conservation project.
Wolfgang Lüchtrath is an expert for personal impact and effectivenes. Since 2007 he is helping decision-makers, executives, experts and teams to be successful by being themselves. He is deeply convinced that every human is unique.
As founder of THE KOENIGS, a theater company specialized in improvisational theater in business and public contexts, he performed at more than 1000 events.
Wolfgang Lüchtrath will show the Spring School participants this year how they can use their voice, language and body language effectively to transmit a message.
Marco Heurich is a professor at the University of Freiburg/Inland Norway University of Applied Science and Head of the Department of Monitoring and Animal Management of the Bavarian Forest National Park.
His research interests include protected area management and the conservation ecology of large mammals and their effects on biological diversity. Prof. Heurich has initiated several international research initiatives and is currently chairing EUROLYNX and EUROWILDCAT initiatives.
In the Spring School he will talk about Protected Area Management with the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem as an example.
Biljana Aljinović is an independent consultant on biodiversity conservation and natural resource management, trainer and facilitator. She has extensive experience in practical conservation work around the globe, advocacy and capacity building.
During the Spring School, Biljana will support the six KfW Foundation Fellows during the elaboration of their project proposals.
Mareike Garms works as a research associate at the social science research department in Black Forest National Park and has a professional background in tourism management and landscape ecology.
She worked for an international project about forest dieback perception and climate change adaptation and has experiences in practical conservation work in several European protected areas.
During the spring school she will give insights into the practical work of a National Park e.g. visitor counting, socio-cultural studies, socio-economic monitoring and visitor management etc.
Using her rich background in Biology and Science Communication, Dagmar Andres-Brümmer has led the Frankfurt Zoological Society communications department for the last 18 years.
Participants of this year’s Spring School can expect an in-depth insight into the world of communications strategy and PR from Dagmar Andres-Brümmer herself in a day-long interactive session.
Florian Becker-Gitschel has held the position of Head of Finance at Frankfurt Zoological Society since 2011, as well as administrating a repertoire of independent foundations and trusts.
In a series of talks and practical sessions Florian Becker-Gitschel will share his expert knowledge of financial management and reporting, providing the essential skills to Spring School students necessary to execute this critical role.
Michael Brombacher is the leader of Frankfurt Zoological Society’s European Department. From 16 years of work experience in conservation, he uses his advanced skillset to help safeguard large-scale wilderness projects across Europe and Central-Asia.
As part of this year’s Spring School, Michael will lead interactive sessions on recruitment and interview strategies, and share his experiences from years spent in the project areas of the Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
An expert in online communications, Nils has been responsible for the digital communications of Frankfurt Zoological Society since 2015, having worked as multimedia content editor, requirements engineer and project lead at the Hessian Broadcasting Corporation in the years prior.
Nils will share his knowledge and experience as part of the Frankfurt Spring School communications module.
Katharina Hensen holds Master’s degrees in Science Communication from the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, and German & English studies and biology didactics from Passau University. She has been working for Frankfurt Zoological Society’s communications department since 2012 where she combines her passion for nature with her love for language.
Katharina will provide media training as part of the Frankfurt Spring School communications module.
Dr. Christof Schenck is the executive director of Frankfurt Zoological Society. His position is the result of a prestigious career in conservation and research. He has produced crucial and influential work in some of the most remote project areas in the world.
Today, Christof Schenck oversees FZS conservation efforts across 18 countries, shaping the societies strategy and growth.
After his studies of forestry sciences with a focus on project management Nico Eidenmüller joined Frankfurt Zoological Society in 2018. As a project officer in the Europe Department he is responsible for forest protection in Germany and managing the conservation project in the Wispertaunus, just one hour outside of Frankfurt.
Nico will lead the excursion to Kellerwald-Edersee National Park.
Adam F. Smith is a PhD student and wildlife ecologist with the University of Freiburg and Frankfurt Zoological Society. He has been working with European mammals, especially large carnivores and their prey, since 2018, and is an expert on camera traps and data analysis for monitoring and reporting. Currently, Adam coordinates Ireland and Ukraine’s largest camera trap projects.
In the Spring School he will talk about camera traps as part of monitoring and evaluating biodiversity.
Prof Piepenbring’s research interests and expertise include the diversity, ecology, morphology and systematics of plant parasitic microfungi, tropical mycology, fungal diversity, and tropical botany. A passionate teacher, she aims to contribute to the understanding of ecosystem function, habitat conservation, sustainable forest product usage and furthering of education at universities in developing countries.
Meike Piepenbring will lead the excursion to the Science Garden and will present Goethe University’s contributions to conservation.
Diane Detoeuf works for the Wildlife Conservation Society as a Social Science Technical Advisor. She is now based in France, in the division of the global Rights & Communities and Conservation Technology teams to support various field programs being implemented by WCS in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Her work focuses on monitoring and evaluation tools for measuring human well-being and local governance, developing theories of change, and using technologies for social sciences.
During the Spring School, Diane will provide a one-hour digital talk about livelihoods and governance metrics in WCS.
As Sector Economist in KfW‘s Competence Centre for Infrastructure, Water and Natural Resources, Sandra’s tasks circle around advisory and communication services KfW internally regarding the biodiversity portfolio of KfW Development Bank and for external clients including the German Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ). Sandra had been working for KfW since 2000 in various responsibilities, mainly as portfolio manager for projects in the urban development, financial and water sector in the MENA region.
