About George B. Rabb, Ph.D.

President, Chicago Zoological Society, Director, Brookfield Zoo
Chair, IUCN/Species Survival Commission (1989-1996)

Throughout his career, George B. Rabb has contributed to intellectual, scientific, and theoretical understanding of wildlife and the strategies required for its conservation. A herpetologist by training, he began his career at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo as the Director of Research and Education, and in 1976 he was appointed Director of the Zoo and President of the Chicago Zoological Society. In 1976 Dr. Rabb also began his involvement with IUCN The World Conservation Union as the IUDZG The World Zoo Organization, American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists representative to IUCN. He became volunteer Chair of IUCN's Species Survival Commission (SSC) and a member of IUCN's Council in 1989, and took on a leadership role in building strong links - with an emphasis on knowledge and technology exchange - between the international in situ and ex situ conservation communities.

Brookfield Zoo and the International Zoo Community. Under Dr. Rabb's leadership, the Society and Zoo have developed pioneering programs in Conservation Biology, Communications Research, Animal Husbandry, and Exhibition Design. The Zoo's arid land restoration program in Australia has contributed to the creation of the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve, an internationally recognized model program for community based sustainable restoration efforts. At home, innovative new exhibits, including Tropic World and the Swamp, encourage people to develop a more sustainable relationship with nature. The Zoo is a leader in efforts to protect the local environment, serving as the base for the Chicagoland Environmental Network, a consortium of nearly 200 local environmental organizations, and as a founding partner of Chicago Wilderness, a major effort to protect biodiversity in the Chicago region. The Zoo's professional staff provide ongoing genetics and nutrition advice to the zoo community and have developed and shared with the international conservation community key tools to assess wildlife population viability. The Zoo is also a training center for scientists and conservationists from around the world interested in conservation biology, captive management, and education.

Dr. Rabb's leadership efforts extend as well to the rest of the national and international zoo community. He was instrumental in the development of the World Zoo Conservation Strategy, which outlines a cooperative mission for the international zoo community, and reflects the principles Dr. Rabb has promoted within the zoo community in the United States. He served as Chairman of the Board during the critical formative years of the International Species Inventory System (ISIS), and continues to help guide its growth and development around the world.

IUCN Species Survival Commission. During Dr. Rabb's tenure as Chair, SSC's membership grew from 2,400 to 7,000 volunteer experts in various fields of wildlife conservation. More importantly, Dr. Rabb harnessed the skills and expertise of the network to prompt scientific debate and prioritize actions in many areas of wildlife conservation. The result was new ways of thinking and the formation of relevant and timely new conservation policies and tools such as:

Developing and implementing scientifically-based quantitative criteria to assess degrees of extinction threat (IUCN Red List categories);

Achievement Recognition. Dr. Rabb's contribution to global conservation is recognized around the world. In 1995 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by University of Charleston. In 1996 he was prominently recognized in three ways: 1) he became the first recipient of the Heini Hediger Award for his outstanding and dedicated service to the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG) and the zoo and aquarium profession; 2) he received the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) R. Marlin Perkins Award for Professional Excellence, which has been given to only nine people since 1978; and 3) the George B. Rabb IUCN/SSC Internship was established to honor his accomplishments as Chair of SSC.

Dr. Rabb has achieved great success in recognizing and linking a wide variety of talent, expertise, and institutions from around the world to exchange knowledge and form needed partnerships to address a wide variety of conservation concerns. His lifelong commitment to wildlife conservation is recognized by IUCN and the many local and international conservation organizations with which he has worked over the years. He is a true champion of all aspects of the conservation of biological diversity.