Ask Michael Rands


CEO of BirdLife International



The CEOs and Presidents

  • If you had US$10 million to spend on a conservation project - what would you spend it on?
  • How did you get to where you are now?
  • What advice would you give to someone wanting to work for you?

    • If you had US$ 10 million to spend now on a conservation project – what would you spend it on?
    Build the capacity of NGOs in countries or places on earth which are richest in biological diversity. From a global point of view this would be Indonesia, Brazil, Central African Republic, and help them build a sustainable NGO network that would help take care of this biodiversity forever.

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    How did you get involved in conservation? What path did you take?
    I guess I’ve always been fascinated by nature and natural history. I started out with a background in environmental science. Then I did a Ph.D. in ornithology, but it was “very applied” ornithology looking at interface between farming and bird populations.

    Then I went on to work in a range of countries around the world with governments and NGOs trying to help support the growth of local NGOs and linking them together to share resources, ideas, expertise… That’s really been my background.

    Birds have always been central to me personally as a bird watcher - I find them very useful tools or indicators for raising awareness, for motivating people: young people love birds because almost everyone can see them. Birds are good because they are visible, and they are also very good environmental indicators.

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    What advice would you give to someone who wanted to work for your organisation?
    To be optimistic. Joining the Birdlife network is a very motivating experience. They are not going to get rich quickly but they will make a significant contribution to bird and biodiversity conservation around the world by participating in a global network like that.

    And it’s not just optimism: you also need to be persistent. It is about people, livelihoods, conservation, collaboration and it’s a long haul. There are so many pressures on nature and on people - it’s not an easy thing. There are always small wins and big losses, at the moment we’re sort of “holding back” the tide of environmental destruction, waiting for when the world will change and we can make real gains. However, we can make small gains that are very significant.

    Usually people who are committed to bird conservation haven’t actually thought about the broader issues, about sustaining livelihoods, particularly from the developed world. People in the developing world see clear links between people and biodiversity. However, people from the developed world need it pointing out – and they are quick to see these links once you point them out. The links are obvious, but you have to point them out, and you have to do it often.

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