The Team

Our team brings together a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, collaborating to build capacity and develop projects focused on scaling up ecosystem restoration. Our collective expertise spans areas such as rewilding, biodiversity conservation, regenerative agriculture, and ecotourism, as well as science, spatial technologies, and nature-based entrepreneurship. We are also outdoor adventure enthousiasts.

Board of directors

Purnima Devi Barman

Director of Species Restoration & Community Climate Education

Purnima Devi Barman is a wildlife biologist and the founder of the Hargila Army, an all-female conservation initiative protecting the greater adjutant stork, in Assam, India. In 2022, she was awarded the Champions of the Earth award in the Entrepreneurial vision category, UN’s highest environmental honour.

Euridice Leyequien Abarca

Training & Research Director

Eurídice Leyequién is International Training and Education Director at the Rewilding Academy. She is a Professor-Lector Management of Forested Landscapes, ecologist and an advocate for climate resilient rural communities and landscape restoration. Specialised in science-policy-practice interface by developing climate smart ecosystem management and regenerative agriculture.

Arend de Haas

Ecosystem Restoration & Capacity Development Director

Restoration and conservation ecologist with 25 years of experience with ecosystem restoration and conservation, carbon project development, ecotourism and sustainable community development. Co-founder of the African Conservation Foundation and a specialist in GIS, remote sensing and project impact measurement and monitoring.

Marc Wilbers

Marc Wilbers

Education Director

Marc Wilbers is a passionate naturalist with extensive expertise in topics concerning wolf behaviour and bison reintroduction. His lifelong fascination with nature has endowed him with a deep understanding of flora and fauna, and how they interact with each other and their physical environment within a specific area or habitat.

Advisory Board


The Advisory Board serves as our guiding compass. Whenever we need direction, it’s invaluable to consult with experts for advice. Beyond providing strategic insights, the board also plays a key role in network development, ensuring we maintain strong connections across the field. This helps foster collaboration on critical issues, facilitating short lines of communication between key actors involved in vital environmental work.

Klaus Tamm

Klaus Tamm

Photographer

Klaus Tamm, an internationally acclaimed nature photographer, masterfully captures the fragile beauty and mystique of the natural world through his lens-painted images. His evocative work inspires deep connections to nature, featuring remote and atmospheric landscapes from Scandinavia to South America, the Falklands, and beyond, encouraging viewers to pause and appreciate nature’s sublimity.

Raoul Beunen

Prof. dr. ir. Raoul Beunen

Implementation and Policy Advisor

Prof. dr. ir. Raoul Beunen, professor of Environmental Governance at the Open University, specializes in sustainability transitions and tackling environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and spatial planning. A passionate bird enthusiast, he actively contributes to public debates on nitrogen issues and nature conservation while advocating for biodiversity and sustainable landscapes through initiatives addressing ecological challenges.

Derek Gow

Derek Gow

Advisory Board Rewilding

Derek Gow is a British farmer, conservationist, and author pioneering rewilding in the UK. His Devon farm hosts reintroduced species like beavers, wildcats, and white storks, supporting his mission to restore native wildlife. Influenced by Gerald Durrell, Gow has written Bringing Back the Beaver and Birds, Beasts, and Bedlam and now explores Britain’s wolf reintroduction in Hunt for the Shadow Wolf, emphasising the ecological benefits of apex predators.

Sulaiman Tameer

Wildlife Veterinarian and Rescue/Rehab Specialist

Sulaiman Tameer is an award-winning wildlife veterinarian and advocate known for his tireless efforts in advancing animal rights and conservation in Kurdistan, Iraq. Sulaiman’s wildlife rescue operations encompass a wide range of activities, from rescuing and treating injured or orphaned animals to rehabilitating them and releasing them back into their natural habitats.

theo gruentjens

Theo Grüntjens

Forestry engineer, Wildlife photographer

Theo Grüntjens, born in 1953, is a seasoned forestry engineer dedicated to blending nature conservation, forestry, and sustainable management. As head of the Rheinmetall Group’s forestry department, he championed ecologically sustainable conservation alongside economic use and ethical wildlife management. He co-authored “Faszination Birkhuhn” on black grouse conservation and “Heideland”, advocating for the protection of the heath’s unique flora and fauna. His work inspires a deep commitment to environmental stewardship.

Steffen Heiber

Steffen Heiber

Carnivore Specialist

Steffen Heiber has been involved in wolf monitoring since 2012, managing two wolf packs in Brandenburg, Germany. Trained by the Lupus Institute and WWF, he has expertise in conflict management and large carnivore conservation. His international experience includes work in Poland, Romania, and Georgia.

alberto ballar

Alberto Ballar

Ecologist, Herpetologist

Alberto Ballar Ortiz, a biologist with expertise in ecology and sustainable development, specializes in herpetology, focusing on conservation and biodiversity. With a Master’s in Environmental Management from Madrid, he now shares his passion for nature through guided tours and environmental education.

Arjan Otte

Arjan Otte

Wildlife photographer

Arjan Otte, a passionate wildlife photographer and nature enthusiast, is fascinated by wolves and he finds inspiration in their untamed beauty. Living near the Veluwe nature reserve in the Netherlands, Arjan captures stunning images that blend artistic expression with a message of ecological appreciation, showcasing animals in their natural habitats.

Louis Nkembi

Community-based Conservation Specialist

Louis Nkembi is an award-winning conservationist and environmental champion with a profound commitment to preserving Africa’s rich biodiversity. With extensive experience in the field of community-based conservation, Louis has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in addressing environmental challenges.

Erik de Boer

Paleoecologist

Erik is a paleoecologist affiliated with the Universiteit van Granada. He is using long-term data of species responses to environmental change to study species survival mechanisms and predict future changes in biodiversity. He specifically focuses on the impact of human arrival on the landscape and the consequences of extinction in island ecosystems.