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Learning from and living with nature in the vast wilderness
of Canada was very much a part of Eugène Lapointe’s young life. At the
age of seven, he was catching partridges and rabbits to help feed his
family who lived 50 miles (80 km.) from civilization. In this rustic
setting, he learned that to survive, one must use sparingly what nature has
to offer.
Many years later, as Secretary-General of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),
Mr. Lapointe was implementing on an international level lessons learned
from nature in the Canadian wilds. Mr. Lapointe’s dedication to practical
and realistic global natural resource conservation while Secretary-General
of CITES defined his many years of service (1982-1990).
Mr. Lapointe sought to continue his work in global
conservation and founded the IWMC World Conservation Trust (IWMC) in 1994.
IWMC is a world-wide coalition of wildlife managers who believe the most
powerful conservation tool is sustainable utilization of terrestrial and
marine wildlife resources.
Before joining CITES, Eugène Lapointe worked 14 years with
the Canadian Government in Ottawa. During eight of these years, he directed
a legislative unit dealing with international agreements such as the
International Coffee Agreement, the International Sugar Agreement, the
International Cocoa Agreement and the United Nations Conference on the Law
of the Sea. He holds a law degree from the Laval University in Quebec.
As a conservationist, lecturer, jurist, diplomat and former
ice hockey coach in the Swiss National League, Eugène Lapointe can be
described as an optimistic humanist who truly believes in the merits of
human nature.
Mr. Lapointe, who is a versatile lecturer, has been
promoting the sustainable utilization of terrestrial and marine wildlife
resources, on a world-wide basis. He is also a keen speaker for matters
relating to ice hockey. |
