UP honours renowned conservation scholar
Professor Stuart Primm has been awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of conservation biology by the University of Pretoria.
The University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences conferred Prof Stuart Pimm with an honorary doctorate at its autumn graduation ceremony.
Pimm is the Doris Duke Distinguished Prof of Conservation Ecology at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University in the US. He studies why species become extinct, the rate of extinction and the global patterns of habitat loss, among other areas.
Pimm said he was honoured to receive an honorary doctorate from the faculty.
“Having collaborated with researchers and students at UP for more than 25 years, it is clear that the conservation impact of my work aligns with the vision and mission at UP. We share a commitment to advancing innovations in conservation globally, for a better society,” he said.
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Pimm has been a professor at UP conservation ecology research unit within the Department of Zoology and Entomology from 2001 to 2010 and 2016 to date.
He has published more than 350 peer-reviewed scientific papers in leading journals such as Science, Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
He has also published six books, including The Balance of Nature? Ecological Issues in the Conservation of Species and Communities (1991) and The World According to Pimm, a Scientist Audits the Earth (2001).
Faculty dean Prof Barend Erasmus said Pimm’s early theoretical work evolved into very practical conservation management guidelines, which he has implemented and refined at various sites across the world making his scholarship particularly impactful.
“His work on transboundary elephant conservation in Africa, together with that of the late Prof Rudi van Aarde, remains a scholarly benchmark and guides regional conservation frameworks. It is exceptional to have this level of translation from theory into practice on a global scale,” he said.
“This knowledge is a key element to map migration corridors, and support regional and cross-boundary conservation planning.”
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