EUGENE LAPOINTEfrom young hunter to adult conservationistPresident of IWMC World Conservation TrustFormer Secretary-General of CITES (1982-1990)Learning from and living with nature in the vast wilderness of Canada was very much a part of Eugène Lapointe’s young life, who, at the age of seven, was catching partridges and rabbits to help feed his family who lived 50 miles (80 km.) from civilization. In this rustic setting, he learned that to survive, one must use sparingly what nature has to offer.Many years later, as Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Mr. Lapointe was implementing on an international level lessons learned from nature in the Canadian wilds. Mr. Lapointe’s dedication to practical and realistic global natural resource conservation while Secretary-General of CITES defined his service. Mr. Lapointe sought to continue his work in global conservation and founded the IWMC World Conservation Trust (IWMC) in 1994. IWMC is a world-wide coalition of wildlife managers who believe the most powerful conservation tool is sustainable utilization of terrestrial and marine wildlife resources. As a conservationist, lecturer, jurist and diplomat, Mr. Lapointe, who is a versatile lecturer, has been promoting the sustainable utilization of terrestrial and marine wildlife resources, on a world-wide basis. During the last fifteen years, he has delivered numerous lectures in some 30 countries. He can be described as an optimistic humanist who truly believes in the merits of human nature.