Patrick De Deckker

Honorary Member

Patrick De Deckker is a geologist with a doctorate in zoology. He was educated in Belgium, Switzerland and Australia. He commenced working on microcrustaceans (ostracods) and salt lakes, then used the remains of microorganisms to determine environmental change in large lacustrine systems. Using the same approach, he continued his investigations with the aim of identifying changes in all 3 oceans surrounding Australia, ands spent much time investigating the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean. He spent one summer season studying lakes and their biota at an Australian Antarctic base. More recently, he studied airborne dust and its composition in the Australian region and examined the possible record of Australian dust in Antarctic ice cores. Patrick has published over 250 articles in peer-reviewed international scientific journals and edited/co-edited 8 books and journal volumes. Patrick is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Constantin Lupu

Honorary Ambassador

Constantin Lupu is a doctor of medicine, specialized in child and adolescent neurology and psychiatry. Lupu is the father of the symphonic concert at the Românești cave, in Poiana Ruscă Mountains, starting on Oct 1984. The concert became traditional, creating a new cultural and international dimension in the valorization of Romania's speleological heritage. As a doctor in Săvârșin – Petriș on Mureș and Teremia Mare, he contributed to the inauguration of Aviasan Teremia airport in 1962. In 1965, he founded the Clinical Center for Child Neuropsychiatry in Timișoara together with Dr. P. Arcan and Dr. Eliza Ionescu, where he dedicated himself to the study and treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases. In 1975, he became the founder of the Speotimis Caving Club, with which he participated in the exploration and mapping of the caves in Banat. Constantin Lupu puts into practice the legacy left by Emil G. Racoviță, publishes specialist articles, writes books about the history of children and childhood, participates in mountain sports and the organization of cave concerts. He promotes knowledge, empathy, and the value of humanitarian thinking.

Alecu Reniță

Honorary Ambassador

Alecu Reniță, born in 1954, is a journalist specialized in the fields of public policies and the environment. Militant for the Romanian identity of the Moldovans living on the left bank of the Prut river and for the national unity of Romanians. As a two-term MP in the Republic of Moldova Parliament, he initiated the legal framework for aligning the ecological movement to international standards. On Aug 27, 1991 he voted for the Declaration of Independence from Russia of the Republic of Moldova. He founded the the Natura magazine in 1990, which he continues to lead. The magazine promotes the values of national and natural heritage, the values and the natural beauty of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Alecu Reniță has been honored with journalistic and state awards and distinctions: He is a Knight of the "Order of the Republic" - the highest state award in the Republic of Moldova. Since 2014, he is vice-president of the Association of Journalists and Travel Writers from Romania. He was the moderator of the "Vocea Basarabiei" radio station in Chișinău for two decades. He is the author of several books and photo albums promoting the national heritage, with an emphasis on the nature in the Romanian territories. He is organizing thematic exhibitions in this field in the spirit of sharing the knowledge of nature and history.