Bonn, 9 September 2015 - Szabolcs, who works for Rubicon Foundation, is a member of the AEWA Technical Committee representing the NGO, Wetlands International, for which he is a senior adviser.

He has been working with waterbirds since his childhood and became involved with AEWA through coordinating the development of International Single Species Action Plans for globally threatened species in Europe while working for BirdLife International. His connections with AEWA grew further when he started working on the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) Project: the African-Eurasian Flyway Project.  

Szabolcs says “AEWA represents a good mix between a formal legal instrument and a lively community where countries, conservation NGOs, hunters and representatives of industry cooperate to find ways to maintain a valuable shared resource.”

Having been instrumental in the drafting of a number of International Single Species Action Plans, Szabolcs found it difficult to pick just one bird as his favourite. The species closest to his heart include the Ferruginous Duck, the White-headed Duck, the Corncrake, the Lesser White-fronted Goose, Red-breasted Goose, Bewick’s Swan, the Lesser Flamingo, the Eurasian Spoonbill, the Eurasian Curlew and the Benguela current seabirds.

“The action planning process gives me a better understanding of their ecology and conservation problems and brings me in contact with people committed to their conservation,” says Szabolcs.