Jeanette Covacevich

Vale Jeanette Adelaide Covacevich (born March 26, 1945 in Innisfail , Queensland , † September 17, 2015 in Brisbane , Queensland) was an Australian herpetologist .

Life

In 1977 Covacevich graduated with a Master of Science degree from Griffith University in Brisbane , Queensland. From 1978 to 1984 the secretary was with the Stradbroke Island Management Organization. She was the curator of reptiles from 1978 to 1992 and from 1992 until her retirement in 2002 she was the curator of vertebrates at the Queensland Museum . From 1988 to 1990 she was President of the Australian Society of Herpetologists (ASH). In 1995 she was President of the Royal Society of Queensland . From 1996 to 2002 she served on the Scientific and Clinical Emergencies Subcommittee of the University of Queensland's Graduate Medical Course. From 1997 to 1999 she was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Queensland Nature Conservation Act.

Covacevich's research interests were mainly in taxonomy, zoogeography and the conservation of Australopapuanian reptiles, especially from rainforests, deserts and heathlands. Her research also included Aboriginal history , snake bite poisoning, and documenting the range and status of Queensland fauna, particularly endangered vertebrates. She described 30 new species of snakes. Covacevich has been instrumental in the conservation of bioregions such as the Brigalow Belt , North Stradbroke Island, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland . As a curator at the Queensland Museum, she expanded the collections of reptiles and frogs from 7,000 to around 60,000.

Covacevich had a long association with the medical profession as an expert on questions of poisoning by snake bites and the identification of snake venoms . She has served in many scientific and conservation societies, including the Royal Society of Queensland, the Queensland Naturalist's Club, the Australian Society of Herpetologists, and the Rainforest Conservation Society of Queensland.

Honors and Dedication Names

On June 12, 1995, she received the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) award in recognition of her scientific contributions in the fields of herpetology and conservation. In 2002 she received the Queensland Museum Medal. From 2002 to 2015 she was an honorary scientist at the Queensland Museum. In 2003 she received the Queensland Natural History Award from the Queensland Naturalists' Club. In 2003 she received the Public Service Medal (PSM) for her extraordinary services as a staff member at the Queensland Museum. In 2007 she was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. In 1994 the frog species Pseudophryne covacevichae and in 2007 the gecko species Oedura jacovae were named after her.

literature

• Nicholas Polunin: World Who Is Who and Does What in Environment and Conservation , Routledge, 2014. ISBN 978-0-415-85331-6 , p. 68
• Patrick J. Couper, Judith McKay: Vale Jeanette Adelaide Covacevich, AM, PSM (1945-2015). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature 59, 2016. ISSN  2204-1478 , pp. 257-271.

Web links

• Patrick Couper: Jeanette Covacevich - Memorial service for spirited herpetologist and museum curator . The Sydney Morning Herald. October 1, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2018.
• Helen Cohn: Covacevich, Jeanette Adelaide (1945-2015) . Encyclopedia of Australian Science. December 5, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2018.