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Topmost IUCN SSC award for Lanka’s ‘Crocodile Dundee’
Dr. Anslem de Silva at the Wilpattu National Park during the crocodile survey a few years ago. Pic by Suraj Gunawardana
Laurel after laurel is being showered on Sri Lanka’s very own ‘Crocodile Dundee’ – Dr. Anslem de Silva.
The latest is the Sir Peter Scott Award for Conservation Merit from the powerful Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) at a meeting in Abu Dhabi in early October and Dr. de Silva is the first Sri Lankan to receive this honour, the Sunday Times learns.
“You were awarded the Sir Peter Scott Award for Conservation Merit, the highest honour awarded by the IUCN SSC,” says its Chairperson Dr. Jon Paul Rodríguez, who explains that the decision to present the award to Dr. de Silva was taken during the closing session of the SSC Leaders’ Meeting, before a crowd of 321 delegates from 58 countries.
The SSC is a science-based network of more than 8,000 volunteer experts from almost every country of the world working together towards achieving the vision of: “A just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to reduce the loss of diversity of life on earth.”
“A long applause reflected everyone’s admiration and respect for your major contributions to species conservation. Your award was given ‘in recognition of your unassuming commitment to reptile and amphibian research and conservation in Sri Lanka over many decades, advancing our understanding of these species, and your constant support to others, launching many young Sri Lankans in their careers in conservation and science’. Your active involvement in six specialist groups, Boa and Python, Conservation Planning, Crocodile, Monitor Lizard, Viper and Amphibian, are also celebrated and acknowledged,” adds Dr. Rodriguez.
This ‘senior’ SSC award dating back to 1984 includes a medal bearing the likeness of Sir Peter Scott, the first Chair of the SSC, and a certificate. Sir Peter Scott was a British conservationist who founded the Severn Wildfowl Trust (renamed the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) and also helped establish the World Wildlife Fund (renamed the World Wide Fund for Nature).
Numerous are the awards that have been showered on Dr. de Silva who is easily identifiable not only in the wilds of Sri Lanka but also in both the print and electronic media by his signature long silvery beard and locks.
He was named the ‘Father of Modern Herpetology of Sri Lanka’ in September this year at the sessions of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) at Thulhiriya.
This is while Dr. de Silva was presented the first Lifetime Award for Conservation, Research and Education, by the Central Province Education Department. He has also received the Sri Lanka President’s Award for Scientific Publications in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
In recognition of his contributions to herpetology in Sri Lanka, he has been elected an Honorary Life Member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, a first for a Sri Lankan.
Although fondly known as the ‘Crocodile Man’ of Sri Lanka, Dr. de Silva who has many publications and books to his credit is linked to work on amphibians (frogs and toads) and reptiles including snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises. Recently, he played a leading role in Sri Lanka to get the Star Tortoise and two endemic Agamids (lizards) upgraded to Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora when the Conference of the Parties was held in Geneva, Switzerland in August.
Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. These species are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.
With the latest award, Dr. de Silva’s email has been flooded with congratulatory messages. “We had several presentations during the meeting on the reptile assessments and your name kept popping up. It was good therefore to have this prestigious award be announced on the last session of the meeting — a truly deserved one for all of your invaluable contributions to herpetofaunal conservation in Sri Lanka,” says Dr. Sanjay Molur, Founder & Chief Editor, Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) and “Never was an award so richly deserved. Your decades of work in support of the herpetology of Sri Lanka represents something that no-one has equalled in the past and, I’m sure, no-one will equal in the future,” adds John Rudge, former Editor of the International Gecko Journal.
Dr. de Silva is now in the league of awardees such as Mohammed Al Bowardi (for inspirational leadership of conservation in the United Arab Emirates); Dr Holly Dublin (for her untiring commitment to species conservation); Tom Milliken (for his unrelenting work to understand and find solutions to the problems of illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn); Widodo Ramono (for his lifetime’s work to save the Javan and Sumatran rhinos from extinction); Dr Susan Mainka (for her pioneering work on the conservation of the Giant Panda); Prof. Harry Messel (SSC icon); Prof. Marshall W. Murphree (forinnovative work establishing ‘conservation with a human face’); Dr. George B. Rabb (forfostering understanding of the complex dynamics influencing the health of ecosystems and species); and the non-profit public interest Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica (for pursuing various aspects of biodiversity research, data banking and training programmes).
(KH)