Ken Wu, Board Chair

For over 30 years, Ken has been working to protect endangered ecosystems in Canada, including British Columbia’s old-growth forests. Today, he is one of the country’s most experienced working conservationists and currently serves as the Executive Director and Founder of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, a national organization established in 2018 working to advance the science-based protection of Canada’s most endangered ecosystems.

In 2010, Ken co-founded the BC nonprofit Ancient Forest Alliance and served as its Executive Director until 2018; and from 1999 to 2010, he was the Executive Director and Campaign Director of the Wilderness Committee's Victoria chapter. Prior to that, Ken worked for a range of smaller organizations and campus groups focused on protecting old-growth forests and wilderness areas.

Ken has worked on a variety of notable environmental campaigns in BC, including those focused on Avatar Grove, Eden Grove, Edinburgh Mountain (and the nicknaming of the famous "Big Lonely Doug"), Jurassic Grove, Mossome Grove, Walbran Valley, Nahmint Valley, McLaughlin Ridge, Elaho Valley, Sims Creek, East Creek Rainforest, Upper Tsitika Valley, Vancouver’s drinking watersheds (Capilano, Coquitlam, Seymour Valleys), Stein Valley, Carmanah Valley, and the renowned Clayoquot Sound and Great Bear Rainforest. He has also worked to protect other native ecosystems in the proposed South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Reserve, Sooke Hills, Surrey Bend, and Tatshenshini River in BC; and the Whaleback Mountains, Bow Valley, and Bighorn Country in Alberta.

Ken has built several major environmental organizations from scratch and undertaken all manner of campaign and organizational development, including policy and ecological analysis, campaign planning, news and social media engagement, event organizing, expeditions to document endangered areas, and much more. Over recent years, Ken has also helped pioneer the engagement of non-traditional allies, such as businesses, unions, and forestry workers. He is particularly focused now on supporting Indigenous Protected Areas initiatives with key financing.

Ken has a UBC degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and has worked as a tree planter, biologist, and math tutor. He became familiar with the great diversity of native ecosystems by travelling and living across the country over the years, including in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, and now in Quebec, where he currently lives with his five-year old daughter.