Paisaia European Landscape Foundation is a registered charity and non-profit organisation. It is run by a small dedicated team of experts, scientists, land managers. We are passionate about Europe, European heritage and cultural landscapes. We are driven by our desire to keep Europe’s traditional cultural landscapes intact, so that future generations can enjoy them and benefit from them tomorrow as we do today. Our work is based on best scientific evidence, we therefore work closely with local experts and university departments. We work with local farmers, land managers, and local and regional government authorities. We offer school classes and other groups the opportunity to visit our sites so that they can learn about their heritage, the values of these landscapes and the ecosystem services they provide.
The Management team
Joseba Garmendia Altuna 
Jonas Muller 
Stéphane Rivière
Joseba Garmendia Altuna is a biologist specialized in botany. He leads conservation and research projects on species and habitats of interest at regional and international levels. For almost two decades, he has been an active member of a leading scientific society, and currently sits on the board of the largest flora conservation society in Spain. Finally, he is especially interested in making traditional land-uses compatible with the conservation of biodiversity.
Jonas Muller is a plant ecologist by training. For many years, he worked as a senior manager in one of the world’s most famous botanic gardens, where he led a global plant conservation network and the seed biology and conservation research agenda, bridging scientific research, horticulture, public outreach and science-based conservation. As Honorary Research Associate, he continues to plan, initiate and supervise scientific projects. In addition, he is interested in vegetation patterns on a landscape scale and their changes over time.
Stéphane Rivière is a plant biologist and forest ecologist by training. He has an experience in the management and the coordination of projects around seed ex situ conservation and biodiversity information analysis in Europe, as well as restoration and reforestation of degraded landscapes in Africa, including agroforestry, agroecology and production of sustainable non-timber forest products, and working with a range of stakeholders i.e. local governments, companies, local governments, forest research centres and local communities.
Our partners
For our projects across Europe, we partner with universities and scientists, local experts, land managers, legal experts and relevant government authorities at local, regional and national levels. Wherever possible, we team up and form synergies with similar conservation initiatives.
In October 2020, Paisaia European Landscape Foundation signed a collaboration agreement with the Aranzadi Science Society (Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi). The aim of the collaboration is to initiate and conduct joint projects, to work on the study and conservation of European cultural landscapes.
Aranzadi Science Society is a non-profit scientific organisation with its headquarters in Donostia/San Sebastián (Spain). It was established in 1947. Its objectives are, among others, to research the natural and human environment and to protect and conserve the archaeological, cultural and natural heritage. Our two organisations have been working together since 2019.
