Speakers 04.11.2025

Helga Pülzl is Assistant Director for Policy Support of the European Forest Institute and responsible for the Policy Support Facility and its Trust Fund. Her main research interests are in European and international forest governance and policy change, bioeconomy perceptions and sustainability indicators development. She coordinates the IUFRO Working Party 9.05.01 on bioeconomy policy and holds a Phd and master’s degree in political science from the University of Vienna.

From 2020-2024, Łukasz was director of the Nature Conservation Department in the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Poland. Since 2024 he has been a counselor at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, with expertise in biodiversity conservation and nature resource restoration. Currently, he deals with issues related to the preparation of a national plan for the restoration of natural resources and the implementation of the objectives of Nature Restoration Law. 

From 2009-2020 he worked for the General Directorate for Environmental Protection (Department of Natura 2000 Areas, Department of Nature Resources Management) – eventually as chief of the Protection Planning Unit (main field of work: Natura 2000 sites, management and protection plans, nature reserves derogations). From 1997 to 2011, Łukasz was a researcher at the Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences (Ornithological Research Laboratory), with main fields of interest of synurbanization of birds, forest habitat fragmentation, hole-nesters’ ecology. 

Dr. Jenni Roche works as a Restoration Planning Ecologist at the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Jenni has over 20 years of experience in nature conservation across the public sector, consultancy, and research. She is working to develop Ireland’s National Restoration Plan following the EU Nature Restoration Law, as well as a programme of forest restoration projects. 

Elisabeth Schatzdorfer (neé Pötzelsberger) is a forest scientist, natural resources management expert and ecologist who joined EFI in 2020 as Head of Resilience Programme and after a maternity leave in 2023 is now back in Bonn as Principal Scientist. 

In her work, she investigates strategies and alternative management options to increase the resilience and functionality of forest landscapes and to protect and restore biodiversity. Currently, she coordinates the large Green Deal project SUPERB (Systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration for forest-related biodiversity and ecosystem services).

A passionate and experienced science communicator, Gesche joined EFI’s Bonn office in 2017 to lead the Communications Team of currently 7 people. After engaging with Deutsche Welle and the international Max Weber Foundation, Gesche is now for responsible for managing dissemination and communication activities for international, European and national research projects. She also enjoys moderating events and engaging with diverse stakeholders from science, policy, forestry practice and society. Gesche is a political scientist by background and started to work in science communications more than 15 years ago.

Katarina Tumpa works at the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, where she leads the Department of Forest and Genetic Resources' Protection. She graduated summa cum laude from Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology in Zagreb and holds a PhD in Forestry (Genetics and Tree Breeding) from University of Zagreb. During her studies, she was an active member of International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA). She has authored and co-authored 15 scientific and one technical paper, and co-authored a monography on sweet chestnut.

She is currently the national focal point for FoRISK Network, Integrate Network and Forest Europe Ministerial Conference. On the national level, she is a member of several working groups on biodiversity and nature conservation.