Project Manager
“Leave this world a little better than you found it.” For Isabel Wintermantel, this is more than just a motto associated with the Scout movement in which she has been actively involved since childhood. It has become a way of life for her. During the Nature Experience Days held in Radolfzell in the autumn of 2021, the geographer, language and communications scientist got into conversation with Anja Arning of EuroNatur – in what would prove to be a pivotal encounter. Isabel was immediately enthused by EuroNatur's approach to nature conservation: asking people in the project areas what they really need, thinking interculturally and taking a unifying approach.
In January 2023, she became part of the European Green Belt team and has been managing the BESTbelt pilot project at EuroNatur ever since. Growing up in Germany as the daughter of Portuguese parents, Isabel learned from an early age how enriching it can be to embrace other cultures and focus on the things they have in common. “We humans are so strong and can achieve so much when we are united by a vision,” she says with conviction. “The European Green Belt is an outstanding example of this. It runs along the line of the former Iron Curtain, right across Europe, and thus through so many cultures. The stakeholders involved in the initiative are united by the idea of protecting this natural and cultural treasure. At EuroNatur we don’t just talk, we act too – and that’s what convinces me,” says Isabel, who previously worked in information technology and is also a passionate salsa dancer. Diversity is something she knows all about.