Vantara Appoints Ex-CITES Chief John Scanlon as Council Chair

Jamnagar, Aug 20 (PTI) Vantara has appointed former CITES Secretary-General John E. Scanlon AO as the independent chair of its newly established five-member Governing Council, giving the global wildlife conservation and animal welfare initiative an external oversight structure with authority over its conservation, animal care and compliance activities.

The council will serve as Vantara's highest governing body, overseeing conservation, animal care and rehabilitation and compliance, with final authority over every decision to acquire an animal, the animal welfare and conservation organisation founded by Anant Ambani said in a statement.

The appointment gives Vantara an independent external figure with extensive international experience in wildlife conservation and environmental governance as it seeks to strengthen its oversight and shift part of its focus from rescuing animals for care outside their natural habitats to supporting conservation in their native environments.

"Vantara has sought, obtained, and acted upon external advice as it takes bold steps to reset its operations," Scanlon said. "In making this reset, it has decided to voluntarily strengthen its internal due diligence governance, expertise and processes, and to pivot from ex situ rescue towards providing in situ support to countries, including in India."

Scanlon said he expected Vantara's role in animal welfare and conservation to grow as the organisation embeds the changes.

"As Vantara grows and embeds these changes into its daily operations, it will have an ever-increasing global influence on advancing animal welfare, wildlife conservation and harmonious co-existence," he said. "I look forward to helping Vantara deliver on its reset and to making a lasting, transformative impact."

Vantara said it first approached Scanlon in April and asked him to conduct an independent assessment of the organisation and make recommendations.

He was engaged under terms intended to ensure his independence, and after several visits submitted a report and recommendations. Vantara said it subsequently committed to implementing his recommendations in full before asking him to take on additional responsibilities.

Scanlon has now been engaged as an independent adviser to the Governing Council in addition to serving as its chair.


The appointment comes as Vantara, founded by Anant - the youngest son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, seeks to strengthen its governance and due-diligence processes and broaden its conservation activities.

Vantara operates both ex situ programmes - involving rescue, rehabilitation, veterinary treatment and long-term care outside animals' natural habitats - and in situ conservation programmes focused on species and habitat protection in natural environments.

Its in situ work includes native species restoration, habitat restoration and efforts to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, in partnership with government authorities, conservation organisations and other institutions in India and overseas.

Scanlon is a lawyer by training and has held senior positions across government, the United Nations, international institutions, the private sector and non-profit organisations.

He served as secretary-general of CITES, the international treaty governing trade in endangered wildlife, and has also worked as principal policy adviser at the UN Environment Programme and director of the Environmental Law Centre at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

His previous roles include trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, chair of the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime, chair of the UK Government's Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund Advisory Group and executive president of the International Council of Environmental Law.

He has also held senior environmental and regulatory positions in Australia, including chief executive of the Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, chair of the Environment Protection Authority and commissioner of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.

Scanlon was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2019 for distinguished service to wildlife conservation and protection through roles with international organisations. His other honours include the Adelaide University Distinguished Alumni Award, the Chinese Government Friendship Award, the Financial Crime Fighter of the Year Award and the UNEP Baobab Award for Innovation.

Vantara said its broader conservation work includes species-specific veterinary care and nutrition, specialised infrastructure, conservation breeding and programmes aimed at restoring viable wildlife populations to suitable natural habitats through rewilding.