Michael is a professional forester and holds master, doctoral (Dr. rer.nat. techn.) and habilitation (Univ. Doz.) degrees from the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria. Since 1985 he has been working as consultant in international development cooperation for GIZ/Germany, FAO, European Commission and others, in long- and short-term assignments in developing countries, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. His work has revolved around sustainable forest management of natural forests and timber plantations including forest and land use planning, growth and yield modelling, silviculture and forest certification, forest organization, and forest policy. After moving back to Austria in 1998 he has continued his work in developing countries through advisory services and capacity development particularly in science-policy interactions, forest management planning and field training for forest resource assessment, silviculture operations and strategic planning for sustainable forestry. Michael is based in Vienna, Austria.