A Turkish ecologist has been named among the world’s “emerging explorers” by the prestigious publication National Geographic magazine.
Turkish Ornithologist and Conservation Ecologist Cagan Sekercioglu, an assistant professor at the University of Utah Department of Biology, has entered the magazine’s explorers list for 2011 thanks to his outstanding studies on bird populations and environment in Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Turkey.
Sekercioglu, who was presented with National Geographic’s “emerging explorer” title at a ceremony held in Washington, also received an invitation from the White House to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama and other senior officials in upcoming months.
Speaking to AA on his success, Sekercioglu said his interest in nature had started at very early ages and eventually led to academic studies with scholarships at the prominent U.S. universities Harvard and Stanford.
Sekercioglu, who also launched the world’s first global “bird database”, noted that bird species on the planet were faced with the threat of extinction by 30 percent until the year 2100.
“If we destroy birds, we destroy ourselves. Ecology is like a network and we are located right in the middle of it. When we damage this network, we are, in fact, getting closer to our own end,” he said.
National Geographic’s “Emerging Explorers Program” recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring young adventurers, scientists, photographers, and storytellers?explorers who are already making a difference early in their careers. To help the Emerging Explorers realize their potential, National Geographic awards each of them $10,000 for research and exploration. Each year explorers are chosen from fields as diverse as anthropology, space exploration, mountaineering and music.
AA