Dr. Alejandro Iza became Head of IUCN Environmental Law Programme and Director of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in January 2005, five years after joining the Law Programme as a Legal Officer. He gained a post-doctorate degree from the University of Hamburg and holds a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Buenos Aires, where he was also a lecturer and research fellow. From a combined academic and practical background, Dr. Iza’s area of expertise includes a broad knowledge of international environmental law, with special focus on water resources and marine law, environmental protection and regional integration.In his academic career, Dr. Iza has taught public international law, the law of European Integration, and international environmental law. In legal practice, at the European Commission (DG Environment), he specialised in complaints relating to EC environmental law, especially involving nature conservation, environmental impact assessment (EIA), wastes, water resources and pollution.