Melly Reuling
Director, 30x30 Biodiversity Initiative
Bozeman, MT
Melly Reuling Headshot of Melly Reuling, Director, 30x30 Biodiversity Initiative © Randy Wimberg
Areas of Expertise
Conservation science, Collaboration and strategic partnerships, Community-based conservation
Biography
As Director of the 30x30 Biodiversity Initiative at The Nature Conservancy, Melly leads and coordinates the many work streams that make the initiative possible: finance, policy, science, communications and implementation. Her focus is on coordinating and building partnerships within TNC and with external stakeholders working toward successful implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s upcoming 30x30 target.
Prior to her current position, Melly was vice president at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. She was responsible for developing and managing conservation programs, building strategic partnerships and expanding the Center’s work internationally. Melly led the development of work programs with Tribal partners in Montana around climate adaptation, sustainable land use planning and development of nature-based economies.
Melly has extensive experience in the African subcontinent, having lived and worked for more than 25 years in Tanzania and Kenya. She worked with Kenya Wildlife Service, with government donors as a consultant, and with numerous NGOs on large-landscape and community-conservation issues around protected areas and across borders.
Melly holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from The Evergreen State College and a master’s in wildlife ecology from the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. When not working, Melly prefers to be outdoors biking, hiking, boating, birding or doing whatever else gets her closer to the natural world.