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SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AWARDS 2008

SCB has honored six individuals for their contributions to advancing the science and practice of conserving Earth's biological diversity. Awardees were nominated by members of SCB, selected by the Awards Committee, and approved by the Board of Governors. The awards will be presented during the 2008 annual meeting. Kathryn Saterson, chair of the Awards Committee, noted that all of the 2008 awardees are recognized "not only for their extraordinary contributions to conservation research and teaching but also for applying scientific findings to improved conservation management and policy."

EDWARD T. LAROE III MEMORIAL AWARD

The Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award is given to an individual who has made major research contributions to conservation biology and has been a leader in translating their work to inform policy. The award honors the memory of Ted LaRoe, the first Director of the U.S. Biological Survey. Ted was a marine biologist who believed that scientists not only have a responsibility to conduct high quality research that is relevant to policy and management, but also to communicate results and inferences from that research to those making policy and management decisions. The intent of the LaRoe award is to recognize the innovative application of science to resource management and policy by scientists.

Gonzalo Halffter

Gonzalo Halffter (Institute of Ecology, Veracruz, Mexico) was an early pioneer in Mexican ecology and conservation. He has dedicated nearly 50 years to the study and conservation of biological diversity. In 1975, Halffter founded the Instituto de Ecologia, A.C., a leading institution in Mexico and Latin America that plays a major role in influencing environmental policy. Halffter directed this institution for its first twenty years. His scientific contributions have significantly increased our knowledge of the ecology, biogeography, and natural history of the invertebrates of Mexico. Halffter developed the concept of biosphere reserves for Mexico. Reserves based on his framework have been designated throughout the country.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Mario Baudoin

Mario Baudoin (University Mayor de San Andres, La Paz, Bolivia) is honored for his research and teaching in Costa Rica, Bolivia, and across Latin America. Baudoin was director of La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica and a professor at the Costa Rican National University, where he contributed to development of a masters program in wildlife management, the first of its kind in Latin America. Since 1984 Baudoin has been at the Universidad Mayor de San Andres in Bolivia. His two periods as head of biodiversity for the Bolivian government saw tremendous advances in Bolivian environmental policy, as well as in actions to improve conservation and wildlife management.

Anne Kapuscinski

Anne Kapuscinski (Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota) is a global leader in biotechnology policy, conservation of aquatic biodiversity, interdisciplinary analysis of sustainability issues, and conservation genetics of fish. She has devoted her career to practicing science for the public good, integrating broader concerns of society with rigorous scientific research on conservation issues. In her capacity as Professor of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota, Kapuscinski founded the Institute for Social, Economic, and Ecological Sustainability and was a founding Fellow of the Institute on the Environment. Kapuscinski's influence extends outside the university community at regional, national, and international levels. She has served on the Board of Trustees of the WorldFish Center of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and periodically provides expert testimony to the Minnesota state legislature and the United States Congress.

David Lindenmayer

David Lindenmayer (Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra) is honored for his exceptional research, teaching, and application of his knowledge to environmental policy in Australia. He is highly regarded by senior policy makers in the Australian government, Aboriginal leaders, scholars, and farmers. He leads five major long-term research projects -- timber management in native forests, plantation forestry, fire management in protected areas, and two projects on woodland restoration through management of fire and grazing -- that collectively encompass the major terrestrial ecosystem types and critical land use issues in southeastern Australia.

Helene Marsh

Helene Marsh (James Cook University, School of Tropical Environmental Studies and Geography, Townsville, Queensland, Australia) has had a profound impact on the field of conservation biology. She has been involved in the development of policy and management strategies that promote conservation, worked with aboriginal communities to promote sustainability in traditional harvest practices, and conducted research on the basic ecology of endangered species. Marsh's contributions to conservation management deal directly with humans. She has examined moderation of human impacts, such as the sustainability of hunting dugongs by Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, and incorporation of best conservation practices into regional management strategies by agencies such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks Authority and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. In addition, Marsh is a globally recognized expert on dugong biology and ecology. She has been active as an advisor or scientific consultant to assist in the global conservation management of dugongs and their associated tropical marine ecosystems.

Jorge Soberon

Jorge Soberon (Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA), born in Mexico City, is honored for his exceptional contributions to conservation in Mexico. For more than 20 years he was a professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where he made important contributions to theoretical ecology and global biodiversity science, systematics, biogeography, and conservation. In 1992 Soberon was part of the group of top conservationists that created Mexico's Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO). He was Executive Director of CONABIO for the following 13 years. During Jorge's tenure, CONABIO became one of the top three national institutions in the world devoted to understanding and protecting biodiversity.

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