Mario Cipollone

Team Leader

Mario Cipollone was born in Pescara, Italy, on the 18th March 1981. He has always been passionate about nature and has volunteered for environmental organizations since childhood. In 2008 Mario graduated with a degree in International Political Science. In 2012, after becoming increasingly concerned about the decline of the Marsican brown bear, Mario became the co-founder of Salviamo l’Orso (Let’s save the bear) with the aim of conserving the critically endangered brown bear subspecies, endemic of the Central Apennines.

His commitment to wildlife, the natural environment and to the conservation of the bear have gained Mario and his organizations several acknowledgments, publications and grants both at national and international levels.

Since 2018 Mario has been the team leader of Rewilding Apennines, where his main tasks include planning and managing actions for the rewilding of ecosystems and trophic chains. His environmental background and passion for wildlife perfectly reflects the philosophy and policies of Rewilding Europe. As a grassroots conservationist, Mario is aware that rewilding goals can only be achieved by a combination of engaging local communities in the conservation process, raising awareness about the value of biodiversity and natural heritage, and developing nature-based economies.

Angela Tavone

Communications Manager

Born in Boiano (Campobasso, Molise) in 1983, Angela holds a major degree in Communication of nature science, a Master’s degree in Governance of natural protected areas and an international Ph.D. in Management and conservation issues in changing landscapes. During her university career, she gained important experience abroad, such as six months in Vermont (USA) to deepen her Ph.D. research about the management of rural landscape through the local community engagement.

Since 2011, she has been working with the team Rete DNA (Network of National Didactic for Environment) that belongs to CURSA – University Consortium for the Socioeconomic Research and Environment – to develop and implement projects of environmental education and heritage interpretation, training courses for adults and educative programs for children about Biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, especially in natural protected areas.

Fond of Nature since always and strong supporter of volunteering as an important social resource for environmental protection, Angela collaborates with Salviamo l’Orso about the conservation of the Marsican bear. Since 2018, she leads the communications of Rewilding Apennines as the Communications Officer of this organization that is working with Rewilding Europe to make Italy a wilder place, with much more space for wild ecosystems, wildlife and natural processes. In bringing back the variety of life, the aim is exploring new ways for people to enjoy and earn a fair living through the nature connection.

Fabrizio Cordischi

Field Operations Manager

Fabrizio was born in 1982 in Avezzano, in Abruzzo, the main town of Marsica area, situated between the Sirente Velino Regional Park and the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. He got a PhD in Industrial Chemical at the University of Bologna and he has always been frequenting the mountain under different perspectives.

Fabrizio is a “coornata” guide of the Sirente Velino Regional Park and an environmental hiking guide of Abruzzo. Since 2016 he accompanies tourists and nature lovers to discover the natural beauties of the Central Apennines. Fond of wildlife and nature photography from years, he is committed as volunteer in actions of environmental protection and, with Salviamo l’Orso, for the conservation of the Marsican brown bear.

Since 2019 Fabrizio is the Field Officer of Rewilding Apennines, carrying out field activities for rewilding environment and nature conservation, wildlife monitoring and enhancing the coexistence between humans and large carnivores.

Valerio Reale

Enterprise Manager

Valerio Reale holds a degree in Gastronomic Sciences from the University of Pollenzo and a Master’s degree in Food Security and Human Development at the Faculty of Economics of Roma 3.

In 2009 he began travelling across both developed and developing countries to study different food production paradigms.

In 2015, he moved to Ethiopia to analyse the effect of conventional farming practices on the Karrayu-Oromo communities and the camel milk production chain.

Since 2016 he has been back to Europe and worked in the UK in the food and organic farming industry.

Valerio is a great fan of agroecology and rewilding as a concrete alternative to conventional food and farming practices. From 2020, he is the Enterprise Officer of Rewilding Apennines with the aim of develop a nature-based network of enterprises that can benefit from the rewilding activities in the Central Apennines.

His main passions are people and food.

Donato Pinto

Finance Manager

Donato is a Senior Advisor of STS Capital, a global M&A advisory firm, and a Managing Director of STS Agility, a division of STS Capital focused on restructuring and turnaround mandates. He is also a partner at Pacemakers, a strategy advisory firm that helps clients identify and engage with fintech partners.

Until 2019, Donato was Country Manager, Italy for Link Financial Group, a leading European investor and servicer of performing, semi-performing and non-performing auto loans, residential mortgages, consumer loans, corporate debt and trade receivables.

Before joining Link, Donato co-founded and led Specialty Finance Trust, a specialist investor and servicer of healthcare and public admin receivables.
Prior to that he spent 12 years at General Electric, holding CEO and board level positions for GE Capital and GE Plastics divisions, based in Europe and Asia. He joined GE in 1992 as Business Development and M&A manager for GE Capital Europe. Before joining GE, Donato spent three years at Procter & Gamble Italy as Financial Analyst.

Donato is a non-executive board member of Harvard Business Review Italia. He has also been a member of YPO Int’l since 2003, where he serves as the incumbent Chairman of YPO Gold Italy and as board member of the Executive Committee of YPO Global Financial Services Network.

Donato is a member of the Virtual Advisory Board, a network of global non-executive directors and senior advisors. He is also a mentor at the Techstars and YPO A+ start-up acceleration programmes and holds an MBA and a MSc in chemical engineering.

Nicolò Borgianni

Vulture Field Officer

Nicolò was born at Tivoli in 1988. In 2016 he graduated with a MSc in Biodiversity and Management of Ecosystems at the University of Rome 3 with a thesis about two autochthonous snakes’ populations in the case of presence of the American bullfrog.

In 2017 he collaborated with the Bavarian Forest National Park to study the populations of Eurasian lynx and ungulates by using camera traps. In 2018 he worked with the Monti Simbruini Regional Park at the monitoring of Apennines wolf, Marsican brown bear and ungulates.

Since 2019 he has been working at the Monti Simbruini Regional Park as project manager of the Reptile Project of the Park, by monitoring the reptile species of the territory and by carrying out dissemination initiatives in order to sensitize local communities about their ecological importance.

Fond of nature and photography, Nicolò has been working as environmental guide since years. He strongly believes that educating the general public to the natural processes is fundamental to guarantee the future coexistence between man and nature and the biodiversity conservation.

Pietrantonio Costrini

Bear Ambassador

Pietrantonio Costrini was born in Avezzano (L’Aquila province) in 1977. He graduated with a degree in Natural Sciences and Biology and worked for three years at the Department of Vegetable Genetics at the University of Bologna. Here he achieved a master of science degree in Applied Vegetable Genetics.

From 2011 to 2014, Pietrantonio worked as a freelance consultant, collaborating with WWF Italy on the European project “Life Arctos”, working on the distribution and installation of wildlife damage-prevention measures, focusing on those caused by the Marsican brown bear.

Currently, he collaborates with Salviamo l’Orso NGO and he works as a Bear Ambassador for Rewilding Apennines. Pietrantonio’s knowledge for bear conservation and wildlife-human conflict resolution means he is able to work towards the coexistence of local communities and wildlife in the Central Apennines.

Pietrantonio has always been fond of the natural world and believes that only through proactive engagement is it possible for future generations to inherit a healthier planet; a planet with balanced and well-managed ecological processes and reduced human consumerism.

Giulia Pace

Finance and Administration Officer

Giulia was born in Pescara, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Since she was a little girl, she has found the source of her well-being in direct contact with nature, plants and animals.

She has a BSc in Economy and Administration of Enterprises and an MSc in Economy and Commerce at Gabriele D’Annunzio University of Pescara. During her university career she spent a period of study abroad, in Germany. This experience was very precious for her personal growth and an opportunity to learn foreign languages.

Her love for nature led her to spend much of her time in the mountains of her region, where she got in touch with the association Salviamo l’Orso: she became a member and a volunteer, contributing to several environmental conservation actions.

Since 2021, she is a board member of the association Stazione Ornitologica Abruzzese (Ornithological Station of Abruzzo) and takes part in conservation and monitoring projects targeting habitats and endangered species.

In 2022, Giulia became a member of the Rewilding Apennines team, as the Finance and Administration Officer. She takes to heart the mission of the organization to make Europe a wilder place, starting from her beloved Central Apennines – turning her passion into her job.

Dara Brodey

Volunteer coordinator

Dara is an Italian and American citizen born and bred in the province of Milan, in the North of Italy. She earned an Msc Development Studies from SOAS university, London and studied French and Hindi during her Bachelor’s in Culture and Language Mediation at Milan’s State University.

She always cultivated a variety of interests, and while she worked at different jobs, she found it enriching to volunteer for several non-for-profit organisations, that are active in the fields of social welfare, immigration, education, arts and culture, in Italy, Ireland, UK and Pakistan.

A volunteering opportunity in conservation was precisely what made her chose to live in a place where she can work in contact with nature and develop her interest ecology, plants and animals.

Dara now lives in a small village in the central Apennines and coordinates the volunteers’ activities for Rewilding Apennines: she is delighted to share her love for nature and contribute to the education of students and young people coming from all over the world to work for conservation.

Julien Leboucher

Field Officer

Julien was born on June 29^th, 1988 at Mont Saint Martin in France, and shortly after, when he was less than 1 year old, moved to Raiano, a small town in Abruzzo. Since his childhood, he has been fascinated by the mountains and the wild nature of these places.

Julien is an environmental hiking guide in the region. Through his job he aims at spreading knowledge and respect for the natural heritage of the central Apennines to tourists and visitors.

For many years, he has been a volunteer and member of Salviamo l’Orso, an environmental NGO that works for the protection of Marsican brown bears. With the Rewilding Apennines team, he is a field operator in human-fauna coexistence actions and management of one of the crayfish breeding centres.

The Marsican brown bear is a species he is really fond of and he considers it as the symbol of the Apennine wilderness. He believes these animals need to be defended and protected through concrete actions, reinforcing the viability and the safety of wildlife corridors and improving human-bear relations.

Together with his inseparable Wild, a Belgian Malinois shepherd dog, Julien has trained a dog-poison unit to increase the impact on the territory of the teams in preventing the use of toxic substances against fauna.

Daniela Gentile

Communications Officer

Born in Tivoli (Rome) in 1982, but of Abruzzese origin on one parent’s side, Daniela developed a love for the Apennines since childhood, where she escaped whenever she could.

Upon completing her studies in Nature Conservation at La Sapienza University of Rome, she seized the opportunity to conduct her Master’s thesis in a research project on large carnivores right in Abruzzo. Since then, she has always stayed here, working as a wildlife biologist first for the University La Sapienza of Rome, then for the Maiella National Park, and finally for the Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park until 2024.

She has been mainly involved in monitoring and managing the Marsican brown bear, but also the Apennine chamois, Apennine wolf, amphibians, and birds of prey. Over the course of her work, she became convinced that environmental communication and active participation of civil society in decision-making processes are the most effective tools for the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems. For this reason, in 2023, she obtained a Master’s degree in “Communication for Wildlife, Environment, and Landscape” from the University of Insubria. This experience opened up the opportunity to work with the Rewilding Apennines team, with whom she shares principles and vision.

She believes in the role of positive emotions to inspire and engage people in Nature Conservation. She enjoys addressing topics where Art, Philosophy, and the Environment can dialogue with each other. She also loves to travel, but her favorite horizon remains the Apennines, which she hopes to see forever wild.

Bérénice Guinel

Enterprise Officer

Born and raised in Paris, Berenice first studied Economics & Business, obtaining a Master degree at Sciences Po Paris, and then worked in varied places (San Francisco, Hong Kong, Paris). She then decided to dedicate herself to nature conservation and studied it from a human sciences perspective, earning the Master degree ‘Forest, Nature and Society’ at Agro Paris Tech.

Mountain lover who marvels at the living world, Berenice tries to act concretely towards a world more inclusive of all living beings. While working at different jobs, she has always been volunteering in various environmental associations and agroecological farms, attempting to raise awareness in many different ways.

In 2022, she came to Abruzzo for 6 months to research the coexistence model between bears and humans for her thesis. While volunteering for Rewilding Apennines, she felt aligned with their approach to rewilding. With a strong anthropological approach, she is now working as an Enterprise Officer, supporting the human dimension of coexistence, notably organizing Rewilding Experiences with local stakeholders. A large part of her job is also dedicated to field actions, contributing to wildlife monitoring and coexistence practices.

Filippo Castellucci

Scientific Coordinator

Filippo was born in Avezzano (AQ) in 1993, and amongs the mountains of the Central Apennines, his passion for the natural world emerged at a young age, particularly with a curiosity for the zoological field.

His passions led him to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences in 2016 and a Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Evolution from the University of Bologna in 2019. In 2023, he completed a Ph.D. in Zoology in co-tutorship between the University of Bologna and the Natural History Museum of Copenhagen.

His academic research focused on the diversity and evolution of arthropods, especially arachnids, but his love for the zoological world drives him to explore other taxonomic groups such as birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

His studies have taken him to engage in scientific and fieldwork activities in the rainforests of America, Africa, and Oceania, as well as among the peaks of various European mountain ranges. However, his love for the Central Apennines ultimately brought him back home. Since 2023, he has been working as the Scientific Coordinator for Rewilding Apennines, overseeing thesis and internship projects for volunteers and contributing to the planning and execution of monitoring and research activities.

Filippo is also a certified hiking guide and contributes to the experiential tourism activities of the Rewilding Experiences program. In his free time, he dedicates himself to nature photography.

Luca Chiaverini

GIS Analyst

Luca Chiaverini was born in Isernia in 1990 and, from an early age, he has been passionate about ecology and animal diversity.

These interests led him to graduate in Biological Sciences in 2012, and then to get a master’s degree in Eco-Biology in 2015, at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. Here, Luca started getting acquainted with conservation biology, with a major interest for landscape ecology, aiming at providing effective tools for conservation, through the development of models highlighting suitable habitats for conservation of endangered species. Building on these principles, Luca developed for his master thesis an integrated model of habitat suitability, risk of anthropic mortality and structural connectivity for the Marsican brown bear in the Central Apennines.

After working for the Italian Zoological Union (UZI) for one and a half year, Luca moved to the USA where he worked for a semester with the United States Forest Service at the Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona, monitoring and sampling the spotted owl population in the Grand Canyon National Park and developing habitat suitability models for other owl species.

In 2018 Luca started a doctorate in Zoology at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) of the University of Oxford, with a thesis aiming at highlighting the most biodiverse areas in Southeast Asia, with a focus on felid species.

After he finished the doctorate in 2022 and after a year of postdoc at the WildCRU, Luca moved back to Italy and, in 2024, he started working as GIS Analyst for Rewilding Apennines. Among the diverse reasons driving Luca to move back to Italy and to work in the area where he is from and where he focused his first studies, there is mainly the eagerness of contributing, with the tools and the skills he developed during his studies, to the conservation of the unique biodiversity of the Central Apennines.

Giuseppe Di Renzo

River Officer

Giuseppe was born in Atessa and lives in Borrello, where he works in the tourism sector with a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. He has always been deeply connected to his homeland and dedicates himself to conserving nature and raising awareness about environmental issues. He promotes responsible tourism practices and biodiversity preservation projects.

For over 15 years, he managed the Regional Natural Reserve of Cascate del Verde, focusing on the conservation and protection of the area, with particular attention to safeguarding the river shrimp through the management of a recovery center as part of LIFE projects in collaboration with the Mario Negri Sud Research Institute.

Since 2010, he has been a hiking environmental guide and has also served as a representative of the “Centro Risorse” Environmental Education Center of the Province of Chieti. His passion for nature and biodiversity has led him to promote immersive tourism experiences that combine exploration of the territory with environmental awareness.

He manages the Rifugio dei Sanniti, a mountain accommodation facility located in Borrello, serving as a reference point for travelers and nature enthusiasts. Through the Refuge, he organizes sustainable tourism experiences related to local food and products, trekking, and itineraries that span from the sea to the mountains, promoting the territory and local traditions. He also engages in animal-assisted activities, particularly with donkeys, creating educational and inclusive paths to connect people with nature through direct contact with these extraordinary animals.

Since 2021, he has been collaborating with Rewilding Apennines as an expert in managing the white-clawed crayfish breeding center, working to replicate this rewilding activity across various fluvial sites in the Central Apennines.

His current focus is on promoting a development model that integrates tourism, environmental education, and biodiversity conservation, aiming to make the Apennines a more welcoming place for both nature and its inhabitants.

Rewilding Apennines Chairman

Antonio Carrara was born in 1961 in Pettorano sul Gizio – where he lives -, in the province of L’Aquila. Having completed a degree in sociology in 1988, he was soon employed by the Italian Ministry of Work, then by the Province of L’Aquila and the Abruzzo Region at the Employment Centre of Castel di Sangro, where he currently works.

Retaining strong links with his birthplace, Antonio helped to establish some local organisations aimed at promoting the traditions and culture of Pettorano sul Gizio and the Peligna Valley. The wild nature of the Central Apennines has also had a strong influence on Antonio and, during the happy season of the parks’ establishment in the Country, he was among those promoting APE (Apennine Park of Europe) and the establishment of the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Nature Regional Reserve in 1996.

Antonio’s commitment to the community has been demonstrated many times in his role as city councillor and city assessor of Pettorano sul Gizio, Chair of the Peligna Mountain Community, and member of the Park Communities of the Majella National Park and the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. He was chairman of the latter between 2014 and 2019.

Antonio’s tireless passion for nature and for his community saw him elected Chairman of Rewilding Apennines and Mayor of Pettorano sul Gizio in 2020.

Rewilding Apennines Vice Chairman

Bruno D’Amicis, who was born in Rome in 1979, works and lives in the shadows of the mountains of Abruzzo, but often travels abroad for his projects. He holds a master’s degree in biology and has been a professional photojournalist since 2004, with a strong interest in conservation and biodiversity.

Bruno’s work has been published worldwide – he won first prize at the World Press Photo 2014 Awards and was also Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His images have featured in publications such as National Geographic, GEO and BBC Wildlife. Bruno regularly works with Protected Areas and NGOs, as well as TV companies in Italy and abroad, and is often invited to speaker at prestigious European events.

An honorary member of the AFNI (Italian Nature Photographers’ Association), Bruno is mainly involved with multimedia photography projects, disclosure and conservation in various countries of the world, and in his beloved Apennines. Among those are the projects “L’Altro Versante”, completely dedicated to the mountainous landscapes of Italy, and “Forest Beat”, focused on the ancient Apennine beech forests. Bruno is also author of six books, among which the acclaimed “Time for Wolves” brings together the best of his work on the Apennine wolf.

Rewilding Apennines board member

Izabella is half English and half Hungarian, born in Florence Italy and moved to Hungary in 1987 just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin wall. Most of her professional background comes from business management, which she has acquired during her studies, years of professional experiences and philanthropic engagements. She has a very international background and an all-inclusive mindset, having lived, studied and worked in multiple countries and cultures across the world.  She is at home in the world of family business, large corporations, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, social enterprises, non-profit organizations, and finance alike.

Most of her experiences were acquired in the wine & beverages industry, through multiple leading roles and board memberships. Since 1995, she is the owner of Dobogò Winery based in Tokai, Hungary; since 2011 she started the management of Caffe della Posta in Bolgheri, Tuscany, to produce and sell locally made, natural, organic ice cream. Always been involved in the family Zwack Unicum Company, from 2008 she became a member of the Board of Directors.

Throughout her career her passion has always been to create a positive impact with her work, hence her continuous focus on sustainability, social issues, and diverse impact focused activities. She is interested in using her acquired knowledge to further create and enhance social value and innovation, potentially through investments, mentoring activities or board memberships in socially and environmentally sustainable start-ups or SMEs.

Rewilding Apennines board member

With a degree in nature science and a PhD in biodiversity conservation, Piero is a Research Group Leader of the Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation group at IIASA, the International Institute of Applied System Analysis in Austria.

His research spans many aspects of applied ecology and conservation, including conservation and restoration planning, multi-criteria decision analysis in conservation, and understanding and predicting species responses to human activities and direct drivers of change, such as land-use change and climate.

Outside academia, Piero has been active at the science-policy interface, as President of the European Section of the Society for Conservation Biology between 2014 and 2016, and as Coordinating Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment for Europe and Central Asia.

Piero has been a passionate conservationist since he was young and has volunteered with several conservation NGOs. He has supported bear conservation in Abruzzo since 2015 and was Rewilding Apennines’ first president between 2019 and 2020.

Rewilding Apennines board member

Born in Rome in 1971, Francesca Manzia has been working for over thirty years in the rehabilitation and management of wildlife. She is currently the Head Keeper of the Bird Department at the Bioparco di Roma. Additionally, she serves as a scientific consultant for the Piano dell’Abatino Wildlife Park in Rieti.

From 2006 to 2024, she held the position of head of the Lipu Wildlife Rescue Center in Rome. As a science communicator, she regularly participates in numerous television programs on Rai and Mediaset channels, and for over ten years has collaborated as a wildlife expert on the Rai 3 program Geo. She has also conducted numerous teaching sessions, including training courses for university students specializing in Natural Sciences, Biology, and Veterinary Medicine, and has published scientific articles.

Her major international training experiences include: China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Chengdu, China (April 2024); South Florida Wildlife Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA (February 2023); monitoring green turtle nesting sites in Nosy Be, Madagascar (February 2019); and Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica (2012, 2014).

Becoming member of the board of Rewilding Apennines in 2025, she contributes to the organization’s mission thanks to her decades of experience.