Simon Thirgood, 1962-2009 Obituary

摘要

Simon Thirgood was an ecologist and committed conservationist who strove to develop effective conservation strategies through linking academic disciplines with support for local communities. Simon was born in Liberia in 1962 and brought up in Vancouver, Canada. In 1980 he came to the UK to read Zoology at Aberdeen University, where he was a popular figure with a mischievous sense of humour. Whilst there, he developed a passion for mountaineering, which he maintained throughout his life. After graduating he worked at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Banchory studying Mountain Hares Lepus timidus and Red Deer Cervus elaphus. He then worked for a PhD at Southampton University on the mating strategies of Fallow Deer Dama dama; this led on to post-doctoral studies at Cambridge investigating the mating system of Black Lechwe Kobus leche in Zambia. At this stage he felt increasingly drawn towards the more applied aspects of conservation biology and moved to Birdlife International, where he was involved in the 'Putting Biodiversity on the Map' project, which was very influential in the debate leading up to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.