Barbara Ursula Müller, was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, studied International Business Administration at the University of Vienna, Austria, and at the Summer School of the London School of Economics, UK. During her studies and after graduation she worked as a financial analyst with banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley et al. in Frankfurt and London. A shift in personal values led her to nature conservation and the MPA M.Sc. programme. In March 2007, she founded her own consulting company. Currently she is working within a network of academic professionals and entrepreneurs supporting organisations from both, the public and the private sector, on sustainable financing and development issues. Recent research projects include:

• A scoping study for the financing and management of protected area networks in Carinthia (Austria)

• A case-study analysis of policies for harmonizing protected area management and local business development