Each year, The Society for Conservation Biology recognizes and awards achievement by outstanding individuals in our field. The Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award is given annual to an individual who has been a leader in translating principles of conservation biology into real-world conservation. SCB Distinguished Service Awards are presented for outstanding contributions to conservation biology.

Presentation of the awards is scheduled on Wednesday 16th at the Chattanooga convention center.

The Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award is given annually to an individual who has been a leader in translating principles of conservation biology into real-world conservation. Preference is given to individuals who have spent at least part of their career in public service. The 2008 Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award recognizes the exceptional research accomplishments and the innovative application of science to resource management and policy by Dr. Gonzalo Halffter, of the Institute of Ecology, Veracruz, Mexico. Dr. Halffter has dedicated nearly 50 years to the study and conservation of biological diversity in Mexico. In 1975, Halffter founded the Instituto de Ecología, A.C., a leading institution in Mexico and Latin America that has had a major role in influencing environmental policy. Halffter directed this institution for its first twenty years while also conducting research on the ecology and biogeography of the invertebrates of Mexico. Halffter pioneered the concept of biosphere reserves in Mexico, resulting in designation of several such reserves. Michael Scott, Chair of the LaRoe subcommittee believes that “Dr. Halffter embodies the characteristics that honor Ted LaRoe’s memory; a scientist committed to improved conservation policy.”

Each year SCB presents its Distinguished Service Awards for outstanding contributions to conservation biology. Recipients are nominated by the SCB membership through the Awards Committee and are selected by the Board of Governors. This year's recipients are Mario Baudoin, Anne Kapuscinski, David Lindenmayer, Helene Marsh, Jorge Soberon.

Mario Baudoin (University Mayor de San Andrés, 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 Andrés 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 (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 (The Fenner School of Environment and Society 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 (James Cook University, School of Tropical Environmental Studies and Geography, Townsville, Queensland, Australia) is honored for her development of policy and management strategies that promote conservation, work with aboriginal communities to promote sustainability in traditional harvest practices, and research on the basic ecology of endangered species. 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. Dr. Marsh 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 (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.