All Tour du Valat activities are managed by the Tour du Valat Foundation, which has been a public interest foundation since 1978.

Board of Directors

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors, made up of three colleges – the Founders, Experts, and Full Members.

College of Founders

  • André Hoffmann, President
  • Maja Hoffmann, Vice-President
  • Vera Michalski-Hoffmann
  • Isabel Hoffmann

College of Experts

  • Thymio Papayannis, honorary member, senior MedWet advisor (Greece)
  • Dr. Foteini (Clairie) Papazoglou, Secretary, environmental and political consultant (Chypre)
  • Dr. Paule Gros, associate Secretary, biologist (Switzerland)
  • Dr. Gordana Beltram, Treasurer, retired from the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning
  • Dr. Sylvie Goyet, associate Treasurer, Advisor to the Vice-President, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (Monaco)

College of Full Members

  • Cécile-Marie Lenglet, Subprefect of Arles, representative of the Ministry of the Interior
  • Sébastien Forest, Regional Director of the DREAL PACA, representing the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion
  • Jean-Luc Parrain, Regional Academic Delegate for Research and Innovation representing the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (DRRT PACA)
  • Patrick de Carolis, Mayor of Arles

Science and Conservation Council

The Board of Directors is supported by our Science and Conservation Council, which is made up of internationally renowned experts from various fields, who assess and validate the pertinence of our programme. Its president is a standing invitee to all Board meetings, but with no voting rights.

  • Dr. Yann Laurans – Director, Terrestrial Biodiversity, WWF France; President
  • Prof. Debbie Pain – Honorary Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia; Honorary Research Fellow, University of Cambridge, UK; Vice-President
  • Prof. Wolfgang Cramer – Professor, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), France
  • Dr. Ruth Cromie – Chair of Technical Committee for UNEP-Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), UK
  • Dr. Nick Davidson – Nick Davidson Environmental, United-Kingdom & Institute for Land, Water & Society,Charles Sturt University, Australia
  • Prof. Elena Kazakou – Professor, Montpellier SupAgro, France
  • Prof. Phoebe Koundouri – Professor Athens University of Economics and Business & Technical University of Denmark, President EAERE (European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists), Chair SDSN Global Climate Hub, Co-chair SDSN Europe
  • Dr. Ana Rodrigues – Senior Researcher, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE-CNRS), Montpellier, France
  • André Hoffmann – President of  Tour du Valat Foundation, Switzerland; permanent guest

Budget

In 2022, Tour du Valat had an annual budget of 6,056,000 €, which is allocated as follows:

  • 48.3 % for our scientific programme (research and management projects, and joint scientific activities such as training and knowledge transfer
  • 12.6 % for the management of the Tour du Valat Estates
  • 28.2 % for ancillary services (buildings, canteen, financial and administrative services, library.)
  • 7.6 % for the general management and communications
  • 3.3 % for the buildings rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, funding comes from the following sources:

  • 46 % from the MAVA Foundation
  • 9 % from the endowment fund managed by the ProValat Foundation
  • 27 % from partnerships with public organisations
  • 10 % from partnerships with other private organisations
  • 8 % from income from the Estate.