SONORAN DESERT CONSERVATION AWARD


We are pleased to announce that the win- ner of this year’s Sonoran Desert Conserva- tion Award is Dr. William Shaw, Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science, in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona. Dr. Shaw’s research interests combine biology and the socio- political dimensions of wildlife conserva- tion. He has published widely on topics that deal with the effects of urbanization on wildlife, protected area management, and sustainable marine fisheries. He has also worked on studies involving relationships between protected areas and local people in developing countries.


For more than 40 years, Dr. Shaw has directed research addressing biodiversity conservation in the Sonoran Des- ert region. In the early 1980s, Dr. Shaw and his students mapped the important wildlife habitats in the Tucson Met- ropolitan Area and this map was adopted by Pima County as a framework for developing zoning and planning policies to protect biodiversity in the region. Beginning in 1999, he served as Chair of the Science and Technical Advisory Team for Pima County’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. This nationally acknowledged, award-winning, comprehensive land use and multi-species habitat conservation plan cov- ers more than 9,000 square miles in southern Arizona.


Dr. Shaw’s conservation work spans both sides of the bor- der. Working with graduate students from Mexico and other Latin American countries, he has coordinated studies ranging from wildlife habitats in the Colorado River Delta to marine fisheries in the Gulf of California. Important- ly, many of the graduate students who worked on these projects at the University of Arizona are now successful conservation biologists in Mexico, where they are actively contributing to conservation efforts in their positions with universities, conservation organizations, and government agencies.


Dr. Shaw fully retired from the University in 2016 but con- tinues his contributions to conservation biology through his involvement with the Desert Museum’s Science & Con- servation Council and work with other conservation orga- nizations in the US and Mexico.


The Sonoran Desert Conservation Award is given to recog- nize individuals whose work has had a significant impact on conservation in the Sonoran Desert region. This year the award will be presented at 5 pm, Friday December 9, 2016 at a special session of the ASDM Art Institute and Con- servation Symposium. The session, “Crossing Borders: the Art of Conservation” will feature Jorge Torre, co-founder of Comunidad y Biodiversidad and Rick Brusca, ASDM Execu- tive Director Emeritus. Each will reflect on the craft of conservation on both sides of the border, and Dr. Shaw’s contribution to developing the tools we use today.


For more information, and to RSVP for the event, see: http://www.desertmuseum.org/center/conservation_ award.php


The Sonoran Desert Conservation Award is given to recognize individuals whose work has had a significant impact on conservation in the Sonoran Desert region.


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