John Kostyack

Washington, D.C.

John Kostyack is Vice President of Wildlife Conservation for the National Wildlife Federation, where he leads NWF’s wildlife and habitat programs. A key focus of his work is protecting people and wildlife from intensified flooding and other harmful impacts of climate change. He also leads campaigns to protect and restore important Western landscapes, the Appalachian forests, aquatic ecosystems, and urban and suburban habitats. John frequently writes and lectures on meeting the challenges of conserving U.S. wildlife and ecosystems in a warming world. His most recent publication, in the September 2011 issue of BioScience, outlines policy solutions for facilitating movement of plants and animals in a changing climate. He serves on the board of the American Wind Wildlife Institute, a unique NGO-industry collaboration focused on developing wildlife-friendly wind energy. John is a longtime leader on Endangered Species Act policy. He helped to win the endangered species conservation tax incentive for private landowners passed by Congress in 2008 and has won a series of important court rulings for wildlife through his legal advocacy, some of which have led to national conservation policy improvements.