A lawyer by training, Dr Griese has been Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture, Nutrition, Viticulture and Forestry in Rhienland Palatinate since 18th May 2011. Outstanding commitment to nature conservation has been a constant element of his life. Among other things he has been an active member of BÜNDNIS 90/Die GRÜNEN since 1997. From 1995 to 2005 he was Secretary of State for Environment, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in North Rhine Westphalia where he already campaigned intensively for the concerns of EuroNatur: from cross-border protection of migrating birds and the preservation of natural paradise of Narew in North East Poland to the designation of important protected areas.
The establishment in 2004 of the first national park in North Rhine Westphalia, the Eifel National Park, which he had decisively furthered, was a pinnacle in his career. “That was a lengthy process in which many and various interest groups, from local mayors to hunters and forest owners were involved. In the end the local population supported the project in an exemplary manner.”
“Getting people interested in Nature is something that means a very great deal to me. I shall use my contacts in the political and business arenas to canvass for the work of EuroNatur and to raise awareness that nature conservation is about far more than protecting a few species of orchids.”