WWF Global Arctic Programme coordinating team

Based in Ottawa, Canada, the Global Arctic Programme coordinates WWF's Arctic work in 7 offices around the world.
We have had a programme focused on the circumpolar world since 1992. We have an office in every Arctic Council country except Iceland. Our international office, headquartered in Canada and with a an office in Oslo, coordinates our Arctic work.

We are the only circumpolar Environmental NGO present at the Arctic Council, where we hold observer status. We have recently scaled up our work in the Arctic, in recognition of the region’s importance internationally.

Our vision

Effective international stewardship will shield the Arctic from the worst effects of rapid change by promoting healthy living systems to the benefit of local peoples and all humanity.

Media Inquiries

Contact us when you want expert but media-friendly comment on circumpolar aspects of the arctic environment, and arctic policy.

General media inquiries
Clive Tesar, Head of Communications & External Relations
Email: ctesar@wwfcanada.org
Mobile: +1 613 314 9210
Phone: +1 613 232 2535

Specific issues
Contact one of our experts.

Local issues
Contact your national branch of WWF.
/ ©: WWF / Alexander Shestakov
WWF GAP director Alexander Shestakov
© WWF / Alexander Shestakov

Dr. Alexander Shestakov

Director, Global Arctic Programme

Email
Phone: +1 613 2322501
Languages: English, Russian

Alexander Shestakov is the director of the Global Arctic Programme and is based in Ottawa, Canada. His diverse background includes working for academia, NGOs, government and industry, giving him a broad understanding of conservation issues. With a law degree and a PhD focused on environmental management and conservation, Alexander is at home in the arena of international environmental issues. He has been an expert to the Russian Parliament on environmental law, member of official Russian delegations to the Convention on Biodiversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Alexander has authored more than seventy publications including 'The World Map of Ecological Problems' and 'Biodiversity legislation in Russia', and has taught a course on environmental management at Moscow State University.

Areas of expertise

  • Environmental management
  • International environmental law
  • Protected areas
  • Landscape sciences and physical geography

Education

  • Ph.D. Geography
    Moscow State University
  • Fellow, Leadership and Environment (LEAD)
  • M.A. Law (Environmental Law)
    Moscow State University
  • M.Sc. Geography,
    Moscow State University

Featured publications

  • Shestakov, A.S. 1992. Principals of classification of environmental situations. Izvestia Russkogo Geographicheskogo Obschestva. Vol.124, No.3, pp.241-249 (in Russian)
  • Sdasyuk, G.V., and Shestakov A.S. eds. 1995. Assessment of environmental quality and environmental mapping. Moscow, Institute of Geography RAS, 213 p. (in Russian)
  • Shestakov, A.S. ed. 2003. Protected areas in Russia: Legal regulation. An overview of federal laws. KMK Scientific Press Ltd., Moscow, 352 p.
/ ©: Martin Sommerkorn
Dr Martin Sommerkorn, Senior Climate Change Advisor, WWF International Arctic Programme
© Martin Sommerkorn

Dr. Martin Sommerkorn

Head of Conservation

Email
Phone: +47 22 20 53 09
Languages: English, German

Martin Sommerkorn coordinates climate change activities for WWF's Arctic Network Initiative. His current focus is on communicating the impacts and the global relevance of arctic climate change to the public and policy-makers with particular emphasis on the international process to secure a strong global deal on the mitigation of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Martin joined WWF International’s Global Arctic Programme after more than 15 years of arctic research and an even longer time travelling and working in the Arctic. An ecologist by training, his own research is in the field of ecosystem ecology, where he focuses on how climate change impacts on tundra carbon cycling. He was also a lecturer at Aberdeen University on arctic climate change, ecosystem ecology and ecosystem resilience.

Areas of expertise

  • Arctic climate change
  • Ecosystem ecology
  • Ecosystem resilience
/ ©: WWF / Clive Tesar
Clive Tesar
© WWF / Clive Tesar

Clive Tesar

Head of Communications and External Relations

Email
Mobile: +1 613 314 9210
Languages: English

Clive Tesar grew up in Canada’s Northwest Territories and spent ten years travelling the Canadian Arctic as a reporter, producer and host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. For ten years prior to joining WWF, he worked throughout the Arctic as a communications consultant for NGOs, Indigenous peoples’ organisations and governments. Clive has a Masters degree in Environmental Education and Communications.

Areas of expertise

  • Media
  • Strategic communications
  • Education
  • Arctic Indigenous Peoples' Issues
/ ©: WWF / Geoff York
WWF International Arctic Programme Polar Bear Coordinator Geoff York
© WWF / Geoff York

Geoff York

Senior Programme Officer
(Arctic Species)

Email
Phone: +1 613 299 2784
Languages: English

Geoff York is based in the head office of the Global Arctic Programme in Ottawa, Canada. Geoff has 14 years of arctic field experience, most recently as a biologist and programme manager for the US Geological Survey's Polar Bear Project, the leading polar bear research team in the US. Since joining WWF, Geoff has continued with his field work in Alaska and Canada. He has been invited as a specialist to the top grouping of the world’s polar bear researchers, the Polar Bear Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Areas of expertise

  • Polar bear biology and behaviour

Education

  • M.Sc. Biology
    University of Alaska Fairbanks

Featured publication

  • Amstrup, S. C., G. York, T. L. McDonald, R. Nielson, and K. Simac. Detecting denning polar bears with forward looking infra-red (FLIR) imagery. BioScience 54(4):337-344.
Miriam Geitz, Climate Change Officer. / ©: WWF-Canon / Stefan Norris
Miriam Geitz, Climate Change Officer.
© WWF-Canon / Stefan Norris

Miriam Geitz

Senior Project Officer

Email
Phone: +47 22 20 09 34
Languages: English, German, Norwegian

Miriam Geitz is the Senior Conservation Officer for the Global Arctic Programme, based in Oslo. In the ten years that she has been with WWF, Miriam has worked on a broad range of conservation issues including sustainable tourism, cruise tourism, shipping and climate change. She has a Masters degree in International Business & Tourism Studies and sits on the board of the Svalbard Environmental Fund.

Areas of expertise

  • Sustainable tourism
  • Cruise tourism
  • Shipping
/ ©: WWF / Monique Newton
Monique Newton
© WWF / Monique Newton

Monique Newton

Senior Operations Officer

Email

Monique is the Senior Operations Officer of the Global Arctic Programme, based in Ottawa. She joined the global Arctic team after three years with WWF-Canada in Toronto. Prior to joining WWF, Monique helped design and then managed a national funding programme that addressed capacity and resource issues in Canada's nonprofit sector. During her decade of work in the nonprofit sector, Monique has often worked on accountability issues related to funding nonprofit organisations. Her BA is in Cultural Anthropology and African Studies and she has an MA in Policy Studies and Public Administration.
/ ©: Mikhail Babenko
Mikhail Babenko, WWF Global Arctic Programme
© Mikhail Babenko

Dr. Mikhail Babenko

Oil & gas officer

Email
Languages: English, Russian

Mikhail Babenko is Oil & Gas Officer of the Global Arctic Programme, based in Moscow. Before joining WWF he worked in UNDP being responsible as project manager for the preparation of Human Development Reports for Russia. This experience particularly focused his views on sustainable development issues. Besides that, he has extensive experience with Tacis programme and Eurasian Development Bank.

Education

  • Ph.D., Economics
    Moscow State University
  • Masters, Business Administration
    Moscow State University
/ ©: S. Novotny
Sue Novotny
© S. Novotny

Sue Novotny

Communications Officer

Email

Sue has over 14 years of nonprofit communication experience in the United States and Canada, most recently as national Communications Manager with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and as a freelance web designer for nonprofit organizations. At WWF, Sue manages the Global Arctic Programme's website and online communications. She has a B.Sc. in entomology from Cornell University, with a concentration in science communication.


/ ©: WWF
Marc-Andre Dubois
© WWF

Marc-Andre Dubois

Advisor, External Relations

Email

Marc-André Dubois coordinates the WWF Global Arctic Programme’s engagement with the Arctic Council and other international organisations. Marc-André has a background in political science with degrees from Université de Montréal and the Institut d`Études Politiques de Lille. He is completing his own research in the field of circumpolar international governance and the interface of science and policy at Stockholm University’s Political Science department.

Marc-André joined the GAP after working for the Embassy of Canada to Sweden where Arctic cooperation was a priority. His experience above the Arctic Circle is at the Arctic Council Secretariat in Tromsø, Northern Norway, where he was at the heart of the Arctic Council processes supporting the daily work of the actual Swedish Chairmanship.

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