Bonn, 18 May 2015 - A biologist by training, Sabine Herzog is deputy head of section in the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in Switzerland responsible for the law on hunting and forests which covers the protection of native mammals and birds and their habitats. She took over as the Swiss National Focal Point for AEWA about a year ago; she also deals with the Ramsar Convention and Wetlands International.

Sabine says: “For Switzerland, a small landlocked country in the heart of Europe, AEWA is an important commitment to protect migratory waterbirds on their way from Europe to Africa and back. Recognizing the importance of international coordination and cooperation, we try to do our best to help extend the AEWA agreement both taxonomically as well as geographically, wherever necessary and helpful for the protection and conservation of the avifauna and their habitats. Personally, I am convinced that flyways build bridges between continents that reach far beyond the subject of waterbirds.”

It was difficult for Sabine to name a single bird to be my favorite because all living organisms are equally important to her. But she is especially impressed by birds, such as the White Stork, that fly thousands of kilometres between their winter and summer habitats.