Dr. Ilka Herbinger began her work at LLF in January 2022. She has been working in conservation for almost 20 years, first building up and directing an international NGO for the protection of wild chimpanzees and their tropical rainforest habitat in West Africa. Over the past 10 years she joined WWF Germany as Program lead for Central and West Africa. More recently she has gained extensive expertise in environmental and social safeguarding which she is eager to apply to her work in the Legacy Landscape Fund.

Following studies in anthropology, biology and intercultural didactics, Ilka obtained her PhD at the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology and University of Leipzig. She is member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission/ Primate Specialist group, has served as board member on several African based conservation trust funds and steering committees and is author of various conservation relevant publications.

“With excitement I join the Legacy Landscape Fund to engage in safeguarding conservation actions within the Legacy Landscape Fund. To reverse the loss of biodiversity, I believe it is crucial to drive best practice conservation together and in line with the aspirations of local key stakeholders.”

Portrait © Frédéric Batier

Stefanie Lang began her work as Executive Director of the Legacy Landscapes Fund in April 2021. She has worked in conservation for more than 20 years, in bilateral and multilateral institutions and NGOs, as well as in the private sector. Before joining LLF, Stefanie spent 16 years working for WWF in various positions in Asia, East Africa, and Germany, most recently as Asia Director and Head of Organizational Development for WWF Germany.

Stefanie has an M.A. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cologne and in 2019 obtained an M.A. in leadership and organizational development from the Psychoanalytical University of Berlin. She has lived and worked in the Middle East, Latvia, Belgium, Tanzania, Myanmar and Laos.

“I am very excited to be able to work in this new global conservation start-up and bring my passion, experience, and skills to ensure that the Legacy Landscapes Fund realizes its full potential to contribute to thriving biodiversity and effective conservation at a global scale.”

Portrait © Frédéric Batier