Advocacy
Together, we give one voice to nature, creating change greater than the sum of our parts, so birds and all life can thrive.
BirdLife International is a global negotiation powerhouse. We unite over 123 conservation organisations and a Global Team, across 119 countries, to ignite connections and create long-term change.
Our Global Policy team plays a crucial role in driving that change. They represent the BirdLife Partnership at international summits and events. And they draw on collective knowledge, hands-on experience and negotiating expertise to push governments to take ambitious action — protecting birds, nature and all life.
Our Global Policy and Business Team
Nina Mikander
Global Director of Policy
Nina is BirdLife International’s Global Director of Policy and Business, leading international policy, advocacy, and business engagement. As a member of the Global Leadership Team, she drives collaboration across sectors to align nature and climate priorities, shaping global conservation agendas through strategic influence and partnerships with governments, businesses, and civil society.
Gary Allport
Senior Adviser to the CEO
Gary is Senior Adviser to the CEO at BirdLife International, where he brings over three decades of experience in global conservation. Throughout his career with BirdLife, he has led major programmes across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Now based in Dhaka, he supports high-level engagement with multilateral development banks.
Abigail Cherwinski
Policy and Science Administrator
Abigail joined BirdLife in 2024 and provides dedicated administrative support to both the Science and Global Policy & Business Engagement teams. Drawing on experience at Microsoft Research and the Babraham Institute, she supports the Chief Scientist and Science Division, helping drive effective collaboration and operational efficiency across BirdLife’s science and policy functions.
Nicola Crockford
International Species Policy Officer, RSPB
Nicola, Principal Policy Officer at the RSPB, leads global policy for the BirdLife Flyways Programme. She represents BirdLife at the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), the Arctic Council’s Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative and the World Coastal Forum. Her work spans flyway issues such as illegal take of birds, and conservation of coastal wetlands including the Yellow Sea.
Megan Eldred
Senior Policy Manager, Sites
Megan leads BirdLife’s global sites policy across environmental Conventions and provides expert advice to BirdLife Partners to integrate Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) into policy, drive emergency site protection, and champion nature-positive action and finance. As BirdLife’s Ramsar Convention on Wetlands focal point, she is an expert on wetland conservation and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (Targets 1–3, 14, 15). She currently sits on the CBD’s AHSTAG for the implementation of the KMGBF and manages KBA advocacy on behalf of the KBA Partnership.
Yemisi Fawibe
Global Flyways Policy Officer
Yemisi coordinates BirdLife’s emergency casework, supporting partners to address threats to key migratory bird sites through international policy and stakeholder engagement. She strengthens advocacy capacity via the Flyways Policy Expert Working Group, particularly on the integration of environmental and social safeguards across government, finance, and private sector policies.
Julia Keipi
Global Policy and Business Engagement
Julia supports BirdLife’s advocacy at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). She currently focuses on how governments can best protect threatened species, including those threatened by international trade. She also supports efforts to identify how BirdLife can leverage global policy processes to advance the Partnership’s conservation priorities worldwide.
Dr Aline Kuehl-Stenzel
Senior Policy Manager, Marine
Aline leads BirdLife’s global ocean policy work, including negotiations on the BBNJ Agreement, the Convention on Migratory Species, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and OSPAR. She promotes ocean sustainability through global agreements and strategic advocacy and holds an honorary professorship at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.
Dr Noëlle Kümpel
Senior Policy Advisor
Noelle provides strategic and technical advice across BirdLife International’s policy portfolio across Conventions and other policy processes. She works within and beyond the BirdLife Partnership, to drive ambitious policy and implementation, advance government accountability and push for delivery on nature-positive commitments. She is also Chair of the UK government’s Darwin Expert Committee.
Christopher Lunnon
Global Policy Officer, Biodiversity and Climate
Chris supports BirdLife’s advocacy at the UN biodiversity and climate conventions (CBD and UNFCCC), promoting nature-based solutions and mainstreaming biodiversity. He also supports work to strengthen the policy capacity of BirdLife Partners and leads efforts to identify how BirdLife can leverage global policy processes to advance the Partnership’s conservation priorities worldwide.
Dr Amy McDougall
Senior Policy Manager, Biodiversity
Amy leads BirdLife’s advocacy on global biodiversity policy, serving as focal point to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). She currently focuses on how governments can best protect threatened species, including those threatened by international trade.
Ellen McKee
Biodiversity and Business Partnerships Manager
Ellen coordinates BirdLife’s business engagement, building strategic partnerships to align business practices with climate and nature goals. She supports advocacy for strong environmental policies and helps create enabling regulatory environments where business, nature, and people can thrive. Ellen plays a key role in integrating nature into business decision-making.
Manoswini Sarkar
Global Energy Policy Officer
Manoswini supports BirdLife’s energy policy agenda and coordination of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Energy Task Force to align renewable energy development with the conservation of migratory species. She also contributes to broader advocacy and project development efforts on nature positive, climate and energy policy, and coordination of BirdLife’s participation in the IUCN World Conservation Congress.
Dr Poshendra Satyal
Senior Policy Manager
Poshendra leads the Global Policy team’s efforts to strengthen BirdLife Partner advocacy capacity and support conservation policy delivery. He provides strategic advice on global policy, with a focus on human development, rights, and environmental justice, ensuring nature conservation is inclusive and equitable.
Valeska Yanez Bravo
Senior Policy Officer, Americas
Valeska leads policy and advocacy capacity-building for 23 BirdLife Partners across the Americas. Based in Quito, she connects regional priorities with global policy, empowering partners to shape biodiversity agendas. Her work strengthens regional voices and ensures meaningful engagement in national and international environmental processes.
Cathy Yitong Li
Senior Policy Manager, Climate and Energy
Cathy leads BirdLife’s global climate and energy policy and advocacy, representing the partnership at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and coordinating the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Energy Task Force. Cathy also serves as Deputy Chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission.
Find out more about our regional advocacy work:
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