Bonn, 20 July 2015 - Libuse works in the Department of the Conservation of Species and Implementation of International Commitments in the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic. When she started work there in 2001, one of her first tasks was to oversee the process of the Czech Republic’s accession to AEWA, which she found a great challenge. She had to prepare a range of information materials, coordinate negotiations with the Ministry of Agriculture, liaise with NGOs and attend meetings with members of the Czech parliament.

“I was in daily contact with ornithologists and employees of the Agency of Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection as well. Thanks to this process I also learnt a lot about waterbirds and their fascinating life. So it is easy to understand why I consider AEWA as my “child”. And a child is a love forever”, says Libuse.”

Libuse’s favourite waterbirds are herons because of their elegance, diversity of colours and how easily they move through wetlands thanks to their long legs (of which she says she is envious!).

The survival of some waterbird species depends on internationally coordinated conservation and AEWA is the right instrument for such an important task. Waterbird migration connects continents and AEWA connects people in waterbird conservation. Moreover, waterbirds need wetlands and wetlands are Libuse’s favourite ecosystem.