Engagement Board

The Engagement Board accompanies NRP 82 as a non-scientific advisory body. It comprises nine to eleven figures from politics, business, civil society and education who know societal processes from their practical experience.

The body was constituted in May 2026. It works together with the Steering Committee to strengthen the societal relevance of NRP 82 and to support the transfer of research results into practice and policy.

Tasks

Providing resonance. The Engagement Board examines whether the topics and results of NRP 82 reach practitioners on the ground. It gives feedback to the Steering Committee so that findings can be prepared in an action-oriented way.

Creating visibility. The members bring the concerns of NRP 82 into their professional fields and networks, thereby strengthening the public profile of the programme.

Mobilising solutions. The Engagement Board supports the scaling-up of NRP 82 research projects and promotes the consideration of research results in political decision-making processes.

Anchoring impact. The members help ensure that the results of NRP 82 lead to new perspectives and concrete action for biodiversity in politics, business and society.

Composition

The Engagement Board covers different areas of Swiss society: agriculture, spatial planning, nature conservation, climate policy, education, business and civil society. The members convene twice a year or contribute to selected programme activities.

Members

Marcel Hänggi
Science journalist and author; Swiss Energy Foundation (SES)

Marcel Hänggi holds a doctorate in history and is a multiple award-winning science journalist. He has published on climate change and has been politically active, among other things as one of the initiators of the Glacier Initiative. He has a broad network in science editorial offices and in the field of climate protection.

Stefan Hasler
Director, VSA – Swiss Water Association

Stefan Hasler heads the VSA and is familiar with the interfaces between research, implementation and international organisations in water protection. He brings institutional knowledge on managing pesticide and nutrient inputs into water bodies, as well as a broad network in the technical practice of environmental protection.

Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter
Founding Partner and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, Forma Futura Invest AG.

Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter founded Forma Futura Invest AG in 2006 as one of the first independent asset management firms focused on sustainability for private and institutional clients. Previously she became the first female head of the SWX Swiss Exchange. She combines many years of experience in capital and financial markets with a sustained commitment to sustainable development. From 2015 to May 2026, she served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Bern Cantonal Bank (BEKB).

Matthias Samuel Jauslin
National Councillor (GLP, Canton of Aargau); Owner and Managing Director, Jost Wohlen AG

Matthias Samuel Jauslin has been a member of the National Council since 2015. In 2024 — then still as an FDP National Councillor — he supported the Biodiversity Initiative; in 2025 he joined the GLP. As an entrepreneur and central president of the Aero Club of Switzerland, he regularly deals with questions of land use and landscape protection.

Damian Jerjen
Director, EspaceSuisse – Swiss Association for Spatial Planning; Professor of Practice, D-BAUG, ETH Zurich

Damian Jerjen has headed EspaceSuisse since 2019 and has been a Professor of Practice at ETH Zurich since 2024. Previously, he worked for ten years as cantonal planner in Valais. As a member of the Council for Spatial Planning and bilingual (DE/FR), he is familiar with spatial planning practice in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.

Bernard Lehmann
Chair of the Foundation Board, FiBL Switzerland; President of the SCNAT Platform Science and Policy, Chair Emeritus of the HLPE-FSN (UN High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition); Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics, ETH Zurich

Bernard Lehmann has worked in agricultural policy, environmental and food issues as a researcher at ETH, as Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture (2011–2019) and as Chair of the UN High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security. He has extensive experience at the interface between science and implementation.

Daphné Rüfenacht
Head of Energy and Climate Policy, Swiss Union of Cities (SSV)

Daphné Rüfenacht has a scientific background in geography with a specialization in climate research (University of Bern). As head of the Environment Department of the City of Biel/Bienne and through her work at the social enterprise Landschaftswerk Biel-Seeland, she implemented biodiversity-relevant measures at the implementation stage. She was also a member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Bern (2011–2017), of the Biel/Bienne city parliament (2005–2013) and co-president of the cantonal Cultivated Land Initiative.

Catherine Strehler-Perrin
Head of the Biodiversity and Landscape Division (DGE-BIODIV), Canton of Vaud

Catherine Strehler-Perrin has headed the cantonal biodiversity division of the Canton of Vaud since 2010 and played a decisive role in developing the cantonal biodiversity action plan 2019–2030. The natural scientist, who holds a doctorate from the University of Neuchâtel, has operational experience ranging from field work in the Grande Cariçaie to the institutional steering of cantonal biodiversity programmes.

The Engagement Board is currently being further expanded.