IN MEMORIAM _ In memory of Professor Heribert Kalchreuter

It is with great sadness that the AEWA Secretariat has learned of the passing away of Professor Heribert Kalchreuter on 14 March 2010. “‘Herby’, as many people who knew him well used to call him, played an instrumental role in the development and negotiation of the Agreement on the Conservation of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). Although a passionate hunter, he was able to bridge the gap between hunters and nature conservationists through his pragmatic and diplomatic approach. By doing this, he paved the way for reaching a consensus between hunters and conservationists during the AEWA Negotiation Meeting in June 1995 in The Hague, the Netherlands, which resulted in the conclusion of AEWA on 16th of June.” said Dr. Gerard C. Boere, Honorary Patron and one of the founding fathers of AEWA.

Mr Kalchreuter remained involved in AEWA activities and represented the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) at the AEWA Technical Committee from 1999 until 2005.

Heribert Kalchreuter studied geology and forestry in Munich and gained his Diploma in Forestry at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, where he also received his Doctorate in 1970. He undertook numerous study tours throughout Europe and the Americas and was a lecturer at the College of African Wildlife Management in the Republic of Tanzania. He went on to work for the Hunting Department of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry. In 1994 he habilitated at the Agricultural University of Poznan, Poland. In 2002, upon nomination by the University, he was awarded a Professorship by the Polish President, Alexander Kwasniewski. Mr Kalchreuter published numerous publications, including his two most famous books “Die Sache mit der Jagd” and “Zurück in die Wildnis”.

“Herby was one of a kind. Many of us enjoyed his stories about the time he spent in Tanzania and Alaska; at the same time we valued him because of his wealth of knowledge, in particular on waterbird hunting and the conservation of Wood Cocks. We will miss him very much and at the same time, we are very grateful to have had the opportunity of meeting and closely working with this extraordinary man. His dedication and personality will most certainly not be forgotten but will serve as an inspiration to others.” said Bert Lenten, Executive Secretary of AEWA on behalf of the AEWA Secretariat.