THE much loved and well-known Dr Anthony Hall-Martin, sadly passed away today (21 May) after a prolonged struggle with cancer. He was 68 years old.
Co-founder and conservation director of African Parks, Dr Hall-Martin had a distinguished conservation career of nearly 50 years and his loss will resonate throughout the continent.
During his lifetime, he tirelessly championed the cause of wildlife conservation, raised hundreds of millions of dollars for its benefit, and was responsible for the establishment, expansion or management of dozens of protected areas.
He was particularly renowned as a world authority on the African elephant and black rhinoceros and was the author of more than 10 books and 80 published scientific papers.
During his lengthy tenure at South African National Parks, he was responsible for the creation or expansion of many protected areas, including the expanded Addo Elephant National Park, the giant
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park straddling South Africa and Botswana and the Marakele contract national park.
During his career he was responsible for the introduction of elephant and rhino to national parks and wildlife reserves across Africa, perfecting translocation techniques and contributing greatly to the conservation of these species.
Worked tirelessly
One of his notable success stories was the transformation of Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi from a depleted park to a Big Five Reserve, restocked with more than 2 500 animals. At the time of his death, Anthony was a board member of Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi, Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia and Akagera National Park in Rwanda.
He continued to work tirelessly to secure more protected areas across Africa until shortly before his death.
Prior to co-founding African Parks, Dr Hall-Martin was director of research and development at SANParks, a founder of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group and co-founder of the Rhino and Elephant Foundation.
He was a trusted adviser to many conservation organisations, including the IUCN, WWF, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Peace Parks Foundation, and received a number of awards for his contribution to conservation, including the British Council for Zoology Award, the Bruno H Schubert Prize in Germany, the Senior Captain Scott Medal from the South African Academy of Science, and the National Geographic Society Award.
