Lawrence S. Hamilton is one of the best known personalities in global mountain conservation and especially in creating and managing protected areas in the mountains of the world.
| 1925 – 1980: |
Born 1925 in Toronto, Canada, served the last two years of the Second World War in the British Navy Fleet Air Arm and only then he could begin his studies in the Faculty of Forestry at Toronto, continued in New York, and made his PhD in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan 1963, followed by Post Doctoral Studies at Berkeley, University of California. From 1951 until 1980 he was Professor of Natural Resources Conservation at Cornell University, New York with a focus on the ecological basis for the planning of water and land use systems.
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| 1980 – 1993: |
From 1980 to 1993 Lawrence Hamilton was at the East – West Centre in Hawai'i. In this period he visited or worked in 23 different countries of the Asia – Pacific region, edited a newsletter on forest watershed research and management and was strongly engaged in forest upland and mountain projects, especially in the Himalayas. He organised the first seminar in Honolulu to discuss a special institute for mountain research and development. When the big dispute in science and policy began, over the Himalaya-Lower Ganges flooding interaction, then Lawrence Hamilton with his rich experience in mountain watershed management could show, that farming and forestry in the distant highlands were not responsible for disastrous floods in the sub-continent lowlands.
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| Leading advocate in the World Conservation Union (since 1991): |
Since 1991 Lawrence Hamilton became the leading advocate for mountain protected areas in the World Conservation Union(IUCN). His visions in establishing regional corridors or at least a mosaic of mountain protected areas, for example from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, through all the different climatic zones, could help to preserve a unique biodiversity for future generations. But also his regular mountain newsletters, from 1991 to the present, met with worldwide approval, and his enthusiasm inspired a caring network of scientists and managers responsible for conservation of mountain areas. In this sense he gave an impetus for protected areas in the Himalayas, Andes, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Apennine and others, but he helped also as an advisor in the Alps, like on Gran Paradiso, Aletsch, Mt. Blanc, Hohe Tauern, Alpi Marittime/Mercantour etc.
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Most important became his engagement in a small group of scientists who initiated, and gave freely of their skills, to place mountains on the global agenda at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio 1992 and subsequently through various international conferences until the International Year of Mountains 2002.
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At the IUCN World Park Congress 2003 in South Africa, Lawrence Hamilton, after more than 12 years of an impressive engagement for the mountains of the world, stepped down as head of the mountain protected areas sub-commission. His successor, a young Australian, invited with the following words to a special event in his honour: "Larry Hamilton, mountain enthusiast, has inspired so many of us to do more to look after our planet, and in particular our magnificent mountains. Conferences, workshops, books, articles, the magnificent and regular newsletter and just sheer energy expended on promoting conservation and a better world have been some of Larry's contributions. There is no doubt that his work has directly and indirectly influenced bigger picture conservation thinking and achievements by many individuals and organisations around the world. He formally steps down from his position, but hopefully he will continue to contribute." In this work he has had the invaluable assistance of his partner and wife Linda Hamilton.
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Finally, just before the award ceremony of the King Albert I Memorial Foundation, he was given The University of Hawai'i Medal and Distinguished Scientist Award for his long leadership in Tropical Montane Cloud Forest Conservation and IUCN published a booklet "Guidelines for Planning and Managing Mountain Protected Areas".
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Professor em. Dr. Lawrence S. Hamilton
342 Bittersweet Lane
Charlotte, Vermont 05445
USA
Phone and Fax 001 / 802 425 – 6509
E-Mail: silverfox@gmavt.net
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