Global Conservation is more than excited to have new Vice President Amy Tidovsky on our team, who brings a wealth of knowledge, primarily from the fields of conservation and fundraising. We are sure she will be an invaluable leader towards guiding GC in the right direction.

We have a short interview with Amy for our readers to get to know this new leader. We hope you enjoy!

GC:
Amy, welcome to Global Conservation! Can you tell us what inspired you to become part of GC? Was there a moment or cause that you saw that stood out to you?

Amy:
I started my conservation career on January 2, 1997, literally with my boots on the ground in US southeastern longleaf pine forests (another story for another day). In the intervening nearly 30 years, having worked in and outside the US on issues like conservation finance and climate change, and globally on the movement to protect 30x30 and ultimately 50%, coming to work for GC is completing a virtuous circle for me. It is bringing me back to the tangible work on land and oceans and in the water, to the fundamentals we must get right if we are going to succeed at protecting nature at the necessary scale for all life to thrive. We must ensure that the places to which commitments were made long ago are being actively defended and nurtured every day and that we stick with them if we are going to multiply them exponentially.

GC:
What is your favorite part of the world, and do you have a favorite animal?

Amy:
I am not one to choose exclusive favorites! But several places that matter in a special way for me include my home turf of Louisiana and its incomparable wetlands and culture, my adopted state of North Carolina—especially its extraordinarily ancient mountains—and the Caribbean jewels known as the Grenadines. Coincidentally, the vulnerability of these places (and others) has been made abundantly clear by recent extreme weather events, which strengthens my resolve to contribute what I can to addressing climate change and making nature part of that response. Again, no playing favorites, but trees are perhaps for me the greatest living beings, immortalized in The Overstory, and who can resist an otter?

GC:
What do you think are going to be the major funding needs in the future for environmental conservation, and how do you think GC can respond to those needs?

Amy:
It’s been energizing, even as philanthropy overall has experienced some contraction recently, to see the growth in the environmental funding sector fueled by rising awareness of the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. It’s also been inspiring to see historically large and incredibly innovative environmental philanthropy playing out. That said, there is a need for both further expansion as well as targeting of investments. There are so many areas that are critical for biodiversity that are undercapitalized, and it will take more than a few NGOs—and better information about which places matter most—to support them and their communities. Most importantly, power needs to be in the hands of those communities. With its combination of focus and scope, and nimbleness in getting money out to be spent on urgent needs now, Global Conservation is an efficient and cost-effective part of the solution to that issue of overconcentration/undercapitalization.

To see Amy’s bio, click here.