Programme Manager – Nature and Society
Nationality: Turkish
Education: BSc in Landscape Architecture, Ankara University, Turkey; MSc in Landscape Planning and Design, Ankara University, Turkey; MSc in Urban Environmental Management, Rotterdam/Wageningen, the Netherlands; PhD research (ongoing) in Conflict Management and Stakeholder Development for Coastal Areas, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Background information: Ayşegül’s responsibilities involve developing and implementing projects focusing on the social context of nature conservation, and especially issues such as interactive processes in policymaking, stakeholder involvement and linking science and policy by effective communication. She also provides input into social aspects of other programme areas of ECNC such as ecological networks.
Ayşegül recently coordinated a project in Macedonia and Croatia with a specific attention to stakeholder participation and communication in nature parks, and another in Zagreb focusing on community involvement in urban biodiversity assessment. Her responsibility in leading one of the work packages of ALTER-Net (A Long-Term Biodiversity, Ecosystem and Awareness Research Network) is to link biodiversity research and policy. She has also coordinated a project on knowledge management for ecological networks in Europe, which focused on practical implementation of these networks by understanding sectors, organizations, and people.
Within the context of nature and society, Ayşegül has been involved in various training programmes and workshops, such as ECO-Net and EPBRS. She has more than 12 years of experience with a semi-governmental organization (the Bank of Provinces, Turkey) and has worked in developing programmes for municipalities as well as national and international projects. She has extensive experience in regional and local environmental planning and management.
‘I love people! Nature has been proved to be a source of inspiration and happiness for people. Nature conservation motivates me strongly, not only professionally, but also emotionally and culturally. I feel good when I can make a contribution to people’s lives, and I do it with pride and joy.’