Jordi Palau

Education

University of Lleida (Forest Engineer).
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (MSc Protected Areas).

Professional experience

As a civil servant, he has been director of the largest natural park in Catalonia – High Pyrenees, 70000 hectares – for ten years, dealing with issues such as the reintroduced population of brown bear and the «greening» of neighbouring ski resorts.
Since 2014 he is the manager of three national game reserves in the Pyrenees, where he deals with big game management, rewilding and ecotourism.
He has travelled around the world visiting protected areas in Africa, Asia and the Americas, getting to know them first-hand.
He lived for many years in the Pyrenean country of Andorra, where he contributed actively to the creation of the three protected areas currently existing there.
In 1996 co-authored the book «Nature and Ecotourism in Andorra: an option for the future».

About the organization

Generalitat de Catalunya is the regional government of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, in NE Spain. Following the Spanish Constitution, all the responsabilities in nature management and conservation are hold by this body. National Game Reserves depend on the General Direction of Forest Ecosystems and Environment Management, which is placed in the Department of Agriculture.