Russell A. Mittermeier

Russell A. Mittermeier "is President of Conservation International. Prior to this, he served as Vice-President for Science at World Wildlife Fund (1987-89) and as Director of that organization's programs for Brazil and the Guianas (1985-89), Madagascar (1985-89), Species Conservation (1986-89) and Primates (1979-89). He has served as Chairman of the Primate Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) since 1977, as SSC's Vice-Chairman for International Programs since 1985, and as Chairman of the World Bank's Task Force on Biological Diversity in 1988 and 1989. He is also a member of the Board of Wildlife Preservation Trust International and the Belize Zoo, a Research Associate at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

"Dr. Mittermeier's publications include eight books and over 225 papers and popular articles on primates, reptiles, tropical forests and biodiversity; he is responsible for publishing the journal Primate Conservation and for Conservation International's Tropical Field Guide Series.

"He is a recipient of the San Diego Zoo's Gold Medal (1988), the Order of the Golden Ark from His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (1995), the Grand National Order of the Southern Cross from the Government of Brazil (1997), and most recently, the Grand Sash and Order of the Yellow Star from the Government of the Republic of Suriname (1998).

"He has conducted field work on three continents and more than 20 countries in the tropics, and his most recent field work has been on primates, protected areas and other conservation issues in the Atlantic forest region of eastern Brazil, in Suriname and on the island of Madagascar.

"Dr. Mittermeier received his B.A. (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Dartmouth in 1971 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in Biological Anthropology in 1977."


 * Earthwatch Institute: International Advisory Council
 * Technical Advisory Team, Amazon Conservation Association
 * Scientific Advisory Committee, Forest Partners International
 * Former Director, All Species Foundation
 * Steering Committee (2000-01), Bushmeat Crisis Task Force

His wife is Cristina Mittermeier.