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BUILDING BRIDGES WORLDWIDE

by David Ferguson

As a recipient of a 2005 Distinguished Service Award from SCB, I am both honored and awed by this recognition. To have the opportunity to provide information on the countries, projects, and individuals that I have been fortunate enough to work with over the years is another unexpected pleasure. I have never considered myself anything more than a simple human being who, through some miraculous series of events, has been provided with a chance to give back something positive to this world that has given my family and me life and sustenance. In my maturation process, it became so evident that there are roles for many to play; for me, reaching out to others, sharing information, providing a step up when possible, and emphasizing the spirit of cooperation was the obvious and most effective way to go. I consider myself one link in the global chain of people around the world trying to make the world a better place. The chain is only as good as the individual links, so it is important to try to ensure that all the links are as strong as possible.

But, of course, the links get old and worn out and constantly need to be replaced and strengthened with new links. We all need each other and we all have to help each other physically or emotionally whenever and however we can.

I was reflecting recently on a situation that occurred almost 40 years ago when I was working on wildlife conservation activities in Iran. My wife was trying to learn the local language, Farsi, and I suggested conjugating a verb in a simple sentence that would foster the repetition and connections that would help her remember. The arbitrary choice was "Pol dorost mekonam," "Pol dorost mekonee," "Pol dorost mekoneh"--"I am building a bridge," "You are building a bridge," "He / she / it is building a bridge." Little did I know that exercise perhaps worked its way into my soul and became the unrecognized but heralded mantra that influenced me from then on.

My background does not offer much that led me to the wildlife conservation field. I grew up in a semi-rural environment, loved the out-of-doors, and worked summers on my grandparents' dairy farm, but never had a mentor, role model, or opportunity in the conservation field. I just found myself gravitating toward the conservation field as the most appealing avenue in my search for a purpose in life. Joining the Peace Corps after college and a tour in the army, I was sent to Iran and, by luck, was assigned to the Iran Game and Fish Department, a fledgling agency with limited personnel, resources, or expertise to carry out its mission. Together we learned and made things happen.

Years later, I can say accurately that the four-plus years in Iran changed me forever, planted the drive to do what I could for wildlife, and helped me to develop practical skills that have served me to this day in working with individuals, organizations, and governments. For the past 34 years, I have worked as a wildlife biologist in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the primary federal agency responsible for conservation of fish and wildlife resources. For the last 29 years I have coordinated a variety of wildlife conservation activities in the Near East, south Asia, and Africa for the Service in the Division of International Conservation. These activities focus on the conservation of threatened and endangered species and their habitats, and can involve research, management, education, and training. Each activity is designed to address a local conservation problem, is carried out by local personnel, has one or more voluntary technical advisors from the United States, provides a mechanism for young, local biologists to obtain advanced academic degrees, and produces a number of technical reports as well as peer reviewed scientific literature to add to the country's biodiversity information database. As a United States government agency, all activities are done in cooperation with the governments of other countries and with their full endorsement. Because most if not all wildlife conservation responsibilities fall to respective governments, our position as a fellow government agency provides unique opportunities to play an important role in the transfer of technology and expertise.

The United States has a crucial role in the world conservation scene as a major user of Earth's natural resources. At the same time, there is a recognition that we must return something positive for the restoration and mitigation of these resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been given significant charges mandated by our Congress through laws, international conventions, and treaties. Although our main objective is to implement the tenets of our mandates, our approach is to engage other country governments and related in-country conservation organizations to identify local priorities and to use activities to strengthen their abilities to carry out their goals and responsibilities as they relate to threatened and endangered species. Our reasoning is that while we are required to carry out a United States government mandate, it would be foolish to presume we know what the priorities should be in other countries; because conservation is a long-term endeavor, the most effective approach would be to help strengthen in-country agencies and organizations so they can do their jobs more efficiently and more knowledgably.

I think I brought some useful qualities to my job, such as experience abroad, a willingness to work hard, a tenacity as well as patience to see things through, and a love for the region and people of the world I have been fortunate enough to work with for so long. The opportunities and responsibilities offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, reinforced by the agency's long-term commitment and support, have been of immeasurable importance. So too have been the myriad volunteer "experts" who have given willingly of their time, knowledge, and friendship to make things work and succeed, and who explore and provide innumerable opportunities for collaborators to continue their work outside of and beyond specific bilateral projects.

The links of the chain. I am building a bridge, we are building a bridge. We need to work together for the common good. Wildlife and endangered species are non-political issues or should not be, but they offer a common meeting ground for working on problems that affect us all.

David Ferguson received a 2005 Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology for his instrumental role in identifying major conservation problems and his ability to achieve successes through collaboration, friendship, and absolute professionalism.

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