Russell A. Mittermeier

Mittermeier focuses on saving endangered species, promoting biodiversity, and maintaining ecosystems worldwide. He is simultaneously a public servant (whose efforts to stimulate biodiversity research and public awareness of the loss of biodiversity represent exceptional contributions) and a scientist (whose career has been distinguished both for scientific achievement and for other notable services to the scientific community). Building on his original fieldwork with primates in Suriname, his approach to conservation emphasizes the intersections among science, public education, and policy decisions. He launched public education campaigns at the grassroots level and science based regional, national, and global campaigns to affect policy changes on behalf of endangered species and their habitats.