Bertrand de Montmollin has worked for over 25 years in nature conservation, on both a professional and voluntary basis. His work includes environmental impact assessments, conservation site management, and monitoring the effects of conservation measures on species and habitats. He works throughout central and southern Europe, the Mediterranean basin as well as the Sahel in Africa.

“Leading a Specialist Group is a difficult challenge to undertake. It involves motivating and supporting the membership – all volunteers – to create a synergy to our actions to ensure that they succeed,” says Bertrand.

The main objectives of the Group over the current intersessional period are: To continue the implementation of the conservation measures for the threatened species featured in the recently-published Top 50 Mediterranean Island Plants; To continue the preparation and publication of fact sheets on the threatened plants of the Mediterranean islands; To participate in the identification and conservation of Important Plant Areas; To continue the Red List assessments of Mediterranean island plants; To increase awareness amongst decisionmakers of the importance of plant conservation; To anticipate the major threats to plant conservation during the coming decade (urbanization, tourism, climate change, invasive species etc.); To promote the inclusion of threatened plants in national and international legislation; To promote the sustainable use of resources in natural habitats; To promote development and planning practices that are sensitive to natural habitats and landscapes, and to contain the intensive urbanization of the coast for tourist and speculative purposes; To improve the sharing of skills and experiences within the Group; To improve coordination with other SSC Specialist Groups and other IUCN Commissions and Programmes.