Foundations
 

One of my preferred practice areas is the establishment and the management of non-profit foundations. In particular in the field of the protection of the environment and the nature I have established many foundations or I managed such foundations as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Among others I served during 7.5 years as a Member of the Board of Trustees of WWF Switzerland.

A current example of my activities in the field of foundations is the Bernd Thies Foundation. Currently I am the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Manager of the foundation. The Bernd Thies Foundation aims to protect and to preserve nature on a non-profit basis, in particular by granting funds to projects to preserve nature or by granting funds to institutions that spend the funds for the same non-profit purposes. However, in consideration of the particular engagement of the deceased founder Bernd Thies and in order to focus the funds the Bernd Thies Foundation has adopted regulations that focus the goals of the foundation as follows:

• In the first priority the foundation supports practical projects to protect the wolf in Europe, in particular in Portugal, or research projects with the same objectives.

• In the second priority the foundation supports protection and research projects in favor of the wolf in other regions of the world, as well as in favor of other endangered large carnivores (bear, lynx) in Europe.

• In the third priority funds may be granted to other projects to protect nature in Switzerland or abroad.

An example of one of the projects supported by the Bernd Thies Foundation is the Iberian Wolf Recovery Center IWRC in Portugal. Located about 25 km north of Lisbon there is a Wolf Center with an area of 170’000 square meters where 20 – 30 wolves live in enclosures of about 10’000 – 15’000 square meters. The Wolf Center is open for volunteers willing to help with the daily work or for guests who simply want to enjoy the special atmosphere and the howling of the wolves every morning and every evening.
 

 

For further information see: http://LOBO.fc.ul.pt