Libuše Vlasáková, Czechia

Biography 

Libuše Vlasáková has spent over two decades shaping international wetland conservation, believing that real change happens through collaboration. Inspired by her colleagues and driven by a love for nature, she sees wetlands not just as ecosystems, but as a shared responsibility—one that thrives through trust, learning, action. 

As a senior leader at the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic, , she has played a key role in implementing global agreements like the Convention on Wetlands and EUROBATS, forging partnerships across borders. Passionate about knowledge-sharing, she co-authored the first comprehensive Czech book on wetlands, now a university textbook. 

Q. What personal experience has shaped or inspired your journey?

I am in charge of the agenda of international conventions in nature conservation and I believe that international cooperation is essential for their implementation. I realized this right at the beginning of my work at the Ministry of Environment. I enjoy meeting new people, visiting new countries, and different approaches to work, research, and management. I believe that one learns the most from one's own experience and by sharing and exchanging information. In doing so, it is necessary to show not only the good examples but also the bad ones and to learn from them. 
 

Q. Who is the influential figure who has inspired your actions, and what specifically about them has been motivating?

I am inspired by all “wetland people,” both Czech and foreign. I have found that wetland people are wonderful; they love nature, animals, and plants and are very knowledgeable. I admire that very much and I enjoy working with them. I am constantly inspired by the members of the Czech Ramsar Committee and Expert group, who are passionate about wetland protection and research, like to learn about approaches to wetland protection and management in neighboring countries, and are interested in exchanging experiences. My colleague and friend Martina Eiseltová, who worked at Wetlands International, inspired me to organize training courses. We started organizing courses at the national level, and later, we started organizing international courses. Both types of courses are successful and sought after. That fulfils me. I was also inspired by my colleague Jan Kadlečík from Slovakia. He was in charge of a similar agenda and even founded the Carpathian Wetland Initiative. We started to cooperate more on implementing this initiative, and it continues to this day. 
 

Q. In your conservation efforts for wetlands, what key challenges did you face and how has this experience fuelled your dedication to making a positive impact?

The key challenge was clearly the project Conservation, Research and Sustainable Use of Wetlands of the Czech Republic. It was a bilateral Czech-Norwegian project that I designed, developed, implemented and was the project manager. It was a great experience. Several organizations collaborated on the project and many valuable outputs and results were created. But I value the book Wetland – Protection, Research, Wise Use the most. Together with Prof. Hana Čížková (University of South Bohemia) and Dr. Jan Květ (Institut of Botany, Czech Academy of Science) I was its editor. It is the first such comprehensive book on wetlands in the Czech language. We even received an award for the best professional book on natural science topics in 2017. I am really very proud of our work and the work of all the experts who participated in the creation of the book. 

The book also serves as a university textbook and is used by students of natural sciences, agriculture, and engineering. 
 

Q. As a woman who has made significant strides, where can you say investment is required to accelerate progress and empower women’s actions for wetlands?

Women need to be given trust, authority, and support. When they have the support and trust of those around them, they can do incredible things. I think women have natural organizational skills. They can manage projects, lead people, and work with great commitment. I think this is common to all women, regardless of nationality or skin color. Young women are beautiful and active, older women are beautiful, active and experienced, and they all have the potential and ability to do great things.