Álvaro José Negret

Álvaro José Negret ( 1949 - July 18, 1998 ) was a Colombian ornithologist and conservationist .

Live and act

As a boy, Negret began collecting birds for the Natural History Museum of the Universidad del Cauca in Popayán , which at the time was initially under the direction of Federico Carlos Lehmann and then Kjell von Sneidern . During his studies he co-founded the Natural History Museum of the Universidad de Caldas in Manizales . After graduating with a Masters in Ecology and Resource Management from the University of Brasília , Negret conducted numerous ornithological and other wildlife studies across Brazil. He later returned to Popayán as a professor and took over the post of director of the Natural History Museum of the Universidad del Cauca, a position he held until shortly before his death. During his work he made an essential contribution to perfecting the natural history collection. With a focus on ornithologist and environmental education, Negret authored many publications on ecology and nature conservation, especially for children.

Negret traveled all over Colombia and with his excellent natural history knowledge, he was involved in many conservation initiatives, both through his research work and through practical conservation. His efforts, particularly in the Chocó region in western Colombia, led to the creation of the Reserva Natural Tambito, which contains 319 species of birds, including several endangered.

In the last three years before his death, Negret initiated and led the Naya Corridor Program in collaboration with Conservation International , which aimed to unite the two national parks Farallones de Cali and Munchique as well as the nature reserves Tambito and Cuenca del Río Naya. The aim is to create a protection zone 120 km long and 430,000 hectares in size. Shortly before his death, he made enormous strides towards the conservation of this last Chocó wilderness. Negret died of a heart attack.

In 2003, the Negretzaunig ( Henicorhina negreti ) was named in honor of Negret.

Works (selection)

• As aves migratórias do Distrito Federal , 1981
• Aves da região geopolítica do Distrito Federal: lista , 1984
• Estorinhas dos bichos do cerrado , 1984
• Aves en Colombia amenazadas de extinción , 2001 (posthumous)

literature

• Salaman, PGW, Negret, N., Ortega, LA: In Memoriam: Alvaro José Negret, 1949–1998 In Cotinga No. 12, 1999: p. 46