André is a conservation biologist with a focus on international biodiversity policy. Prior to joining IGES in July 2018 he was based in Switzerland for 3 years, coordinating the IPBES Regional Assessment for Europe and Central Asia. Prior to that he spent 4 years at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Canada, overseeing implementation of the Convention at the subnational level. That followed 5 years at ICLEI’s Cities Biodiversity Centre in South Africa, where he was responsible for the flagship “Local Action for Biodiversity” initiative. Earlier in his career Andre’s work, in Africa and the Middle East, included capacity development of subnational government practitioners; various ecological fieldwork; participation in the establishment of a wildlife breeding center; and management in nature reserves.