Our trustees & key personnel

Foundation Trustees 

Erika Stanciu (Romania)

Chair of Trustees from 2022

Former Secretary of State for Forests in the Romanian government, now Vice Chair of World Council for Protected Areas (WCPA) for Europe. Founder-director of the Propark Foundation providing training and consultancy services, and Coordinator of Wild Europe’s Wilderness Working Group. Previously President of Europarc Federation (c 400 organisations) and Director of Retezat National Park.

Ladislav Miko (Slovakia)

Trustee and Chair from 2009

Currently lead advisor on environmental affairs to the Czech EC Presidency, with a role encompassing COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh and COP15 in Montreal. Formerly Director of Natural Environment at DG Environment with the European Commission, Environment Minister in the Czech government, Deputy Director-General of DG Sanco (EC), and subsequently Head of the EC delegation in Slovakia. Author of 116 publications.

Cyril Kormos (USA)

Trustee

Chair of IUCN World Heritage Network, Vice Chair for World Heritage on WCPA, Founder-Director of Wild Heritage a project of the Earth Island Institute, Founder-Director of the global Primary Forest Alliance (formerly IntAct). Previously with WILD (US) and Conservation International. Author of books on Transboundary Conservation, Natural World Heritage and A Handbook on International Wilderness Law & Policy

Kriton Arsenis (Greece)

Trustee

Twice voted conservationist of the year by colleagues in the European Parliament during his tenure from 2009 – 2014, with a string of achievements in forest and marine policy as environmentalist and politician, and a background in planning and regional development. A member of the Greek parliament until 2023, he also founded the Roadless Campaign.

Erik Balaz (Slovakia)

Trustee

Chairman of the Aevis Foundation, forest ecology specialist, writer, Director of Arolla Films producing documentaries on wild nature including Keeper of the Wilderness, The Living River and Wolf Mountains. Active campaigner for the protection of ancient natural forests, and originator of the Eastern Carpathian Mountain conservation strategy.

Gernant Magnin (Netherlands)

Foundation Secretary

Environmental consultant. Formerly with WWF Netherlands, and previously Director of the Eurosite network and WWF Turkey. Bird specialist, campaigner against illegal shooting, author of several publications focused on the Danube Basin, fish migration, bird guides and falconry.

Foundation Executive 

Toby Aykroyd (UK)

Director and Trustee

Background including economic development (UN Development Programme), enterprise management and forestry; also formerly director of SME lobby group representing 12,500 businesses. Involved in conservation of large natural ecosystems for the last 20 years. Trustee of the European Nature Trust, Rewilding Britain, FCC (Romania). Chair of CHASE Africa Foundation. Former Chair of Funding Support Group for BBC Wildlife Fund.

Zoltan Kun (Hungary)

Head of Conservation

Member of IUCN Primary Forest Task Force and IUCN Rewilding Thematic Group, representing Griffiths Primary Forest programme and PFPI (US), with specific interest in management of wilderness protected. Member of Wildland Research Institute. Former Director of the PAN Parks Foundation operating in 12 European countries, prior to that with WWF Hungary. President of the Federation of Large Lakes & Wetlands in Hungary.