The recipient of the 2001 LaRoe award, which will be presented at the annual meeting, is Robert Pressey (New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia).

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Every 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. These awards will be presented at the 2001 meeting.

Private, Non-Profit Organization

The field staff of the National Parks and other protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), particularly the five World Heritage Sites, have continued to work for the conservation of the sites and their unique wildlife throughout the two civil wars that have gripped the country since 1996. This has often been at extreme danger to themselves, with several lives lost, for little or no financial reward, and, in several instances, where senior staff have been forced to flee. This award is given to these patrol guards for their dedication in the face of danger and difficulty, through armed conflict, to the conservation of the international heritage of biodiversity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Individual in Academia

Eugene Odum has carried out pioneering research, founded three institutions that have contributed enormously to conservation biology - University of Georgia's Institute of Ecology, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, and the Marine Institute at Sapelo Island - and is often referred to as the founder of the discipline of ecosystem ecology. This award is given in recognition of his extraordinary vision in merging ecology, ethics, and economics; and, through this vision, opening new ways to protect healthy ecosystems.

Individual in Government

Thanks to the innovative leadership of José Sarukhán, the work of conservation biologists is demonstrably influencing environmental policy in Mexico. Sarukhán recently became Commissioner for Social Development, a cabinet-level appointment in the government of Mexico's new president, Vicente Fox. In his roles as Professor and Rector Emeritus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Coordinator of Mexico's National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Sarukhán has made significant contributions not only to science but also to building the capabilities of biologists in Latin America and Mexico. This award is given in recognition of Sarukhán's leadership in using diverse mechanisms to coordinate and implement conservation activities and national environmental policy in Mexico.

Individual Outside Academia and Government

Standing in a unique position at the crossroads of science and policy, David Wilcove has been an indispensable advocate for strong environmental legislation and an especially effective defender of the Endangered Species Act. Though his writing, scientific studies, work on numerous committees, coordination and participation on blue ribbon panels, and service to SCB, Wilcove has made extraordinary contributions to the protection of the nation's biological diversity. This award is given in recognition of his extraordinary skills in bringing the authority of biological scholarship to conservation advocacy.

Social, Economic, and Political Work

The Biodiversity Legal Foundation is a small, non-profit organization that applies educational, administrative, and legal actions in the defense of biodiversity. BLF is best known for its many successful efforts to hold the federal government accountable under the Endangered Species Act. With the help of many SCB members and other scientists, BLF has developed scientifically defensible status reviews for the listing of species and has planned and implemented the first significant multiple-species and ecosystem-wide litigation in the United States. Prevailing in about 90% of its legal cases, BLF has defended imperiled species in every major ecosystem in the country. This award recognizes the contributions made by the Biodiversity Legal Foundation, which has been on the cutting edge of applying good science, combined with the existing legal system in the United States, to protect species and ecosystems.

Education and Journalism

American cartoonist Gary Larson loved to draw when he was young but never studied art nor considered being a cartoonist. His love was science, which ultimately became a frequent topic in his syndicated cartoon The Far Side. The Far Side thrived for 14 years and when Larson retired the cartoon from daily syndication on 1 January 1995, the panel appeared in more than 1900 newspapers and had been translated into 17 languages. Larson has published 21 New York Times best selling Far Side books and he has the distinction of having a biting louse named after him (Strigiphilus garylarsoni). This award is given in recognition of Larson's unique talent in introducing science and nature to people in an irresistibly funny and thought-provoking style, and in helping people re-think the connection between ourselves and nature from an unlikely perspective.

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