Russell A. Mittermeier

Russell A. Mittermeier is Chief Conservation Officer of Global Wildlife Conservation. He is a primatologist and herpetologist by background, and was named  a “hero for the planet” by Time magazine in 1999 and also won the prestigious Indianapolis Prize in 2018. Therefore, he couldn’t be a better fit to be the Guest of Honour during the Future For Nature Award Event in 2019.

Mittermeier is regarded as a world leader in the field of biodiversity and tropical forest conservation. He uses his far-reaching experience and network to protect wildlife, particularly in biodiversity hotspots and critical wilderness areas. Mittermeier  has also been involved with the IUCN for more than 45 years, chair the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, has been a member of the SSC Steering Committee since 1982,  and was named a lifetime Honorary IUCN Member in 2012.

During his 50 year career, he has traveled widely in 169 countries and has conducted field work in more than 30 of them. He is particularly interested in the discovery and description of species that are new to science and has discovered 18 new species. In addition to this, Mittermeier has published more than 40 books and more than 750 scientific and popular articles.