Christine Mentzel MENTZEL

Christine has a background in Zoology and a Masters Degree in African Mammalogy from the University of Pretoria. After a detour into the corporate sector, she began her conservation career in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania in 2003, working with the Frankfurt Zoological Society, then worked as a lecturer in Wildlife Management as well as running a multinational research project on carnivore diseases. Christine joined the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) in South Africa in 2007, working across the ESA region developing new conservation initiatives, as well as supporting the implementation of projects within existing programmes. In 2012, Christine joined IUCN for five years to manage the first phase of BIOPAMA, followed by a 3-year stint with IUCN Member Frankfurt Zoological Society from 2017 - 2020, based in Germany, as a Grant Manager, focussing on programme and proposal development as well as supporting reporting and donor liaison. Christine Mentzel (re)joined IUCN in August 2020 in the South Africa Country Office in Pretoria, to manage the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme for the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) region. 

Christine brings over 20 years experience and a good understanding of conservation challenges and project implementation in particular in Africa, and also including some work in South America, South East Asia and Eastern Europe. She further brings excellent project and proposal development skills as well as grant management skills (including for EU, German Government and US Government grants), also guiding implementation staff in grant conditions and ensuring timely implementation and accurate reporting.