Oxford, U.K. Earthwatch Institute, the international environmental organisation, is pleased to announce today that Frank Vorhies has been appointed as Chief Executive of its European office. Relocating from Switzerland, Frank leaves his post as Head of the Business Unit at The World Conservation Union (IUCN) of which Earthwatch is an international member.
Starting on 1st August, Frank will lead Earthwatch Europe into its next exciting stage of development. Last year the environmental charity sent over 700 European volunteers to join research projects in the field and secured funds to offer a further 500 people the chance to get hands on experience of conservation, working alongside research scientists with other volunteers from around the world.
"Earthwatch is all about getting on with the job of conservation," says Frank Vorhies. "By engaging the general public, companies and other organisations directly in the work programmes of the conservation community, Earthwatch enables Europeans from all walks of life to learn about crucial issues affecting our natural environment and to make a meaningful contribution to protecting that environment."
As Head of Business at IUCN Frank worked closely with Earthwatch to produce Business & Biodiversity: The Handbook for Corporate Action. Launched at the Johannesburg World Summit in September 2002, the handbook aims to attract the global business community's attention to the importance of biodiversity.
Frank has played a strategic role within the business and biodiversity field and has been instrumental in engaging businesses in this sector since joining IUCN in 1995, when he was hired as their first full-time economist. His recent role has focused on engaging business in biodiversity's triple-bottom line objectives: conservation, sustainable use and equitable benefit sharing. This includes promoting corporate biodiversity strategies and biodiversity business investments.
One example of this is a unique African initiative that Frank developed to assess whether strategic investments in rural enterprises can conserve biodiversity. Known as Kijani, this initiative has identified African investment opportunities in tourism and agriculture in which the profit motive can be aligned with conservation objectives. From this experience, Frank brings to Earthwatch a fresh perspective on integrating rural development with environmental protection.
Before joining IUCN, Frank worked for another one of its members, the African Wildlife Foundation in eastern Africa. Previously he spent several years in South Africa as a senior lecturer in business economics at the University of the Witwatersrand and as a technical economics advisor to the conservation industry.
Commenting on the appointment, Herschel Post, Chairman of Earthwatch Europe says "We are delighted Frank is joining Earthwatch. His background in biodiversity and standing with a multitude of international organisations makes him the ideal person to take Earthwatch forward as they expand their research and education work within Europe."
Earthwatch Institute is an international nonprofit organization which supports scientific field research worldwide by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. The Institute's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.