Louis, 72 years old, the high priest of sustainable development
Retired, widower, no children, has set aside some of his fortune for nature conservation

What I wanted

When I retired, I had enough money to live a very comfortable life, but no-one to leave it to. I wanted to give most of my wealth to a cause that I identified with and that went beyond ideological divisions: environmental protection. Being involved in this type of enterprise is a pleasure and it was something I wanted to do in my lifetime. I decided that I would find a cause myself by talking to people who had been doing this kind of thing for years, as my experience in the area was rather limited.

How I'm doing it

I found an organisation that was fighting to conserve a wetland area for wild birds. After I went to the marsh, I was won over by the enthusiasm of the ornithologists involved in the project. The marsh is home to dozens of different species, including some very rare ones. I set about buying hundreds of hectares of marshland costing about €400,000 in total and, under the watchful guidance of my partners, went about setting up a nature reserve open to the public.

What the Bank did

Assistance provided

• Defining a donor profile
• Setting up contacts with environmental experts
• Donation structuring