Bruce Amos
Clive W. Marsh
PHC Bing Lucas
Malcolm Payne
Adrian Phillips

Bruce Amos

IUCN would like to pay tribute to Bruce Amos who recently retired from Parks Canada. Bruce has also served as WCPA Vice-Chair for North America for a number of years. In this time he has energised the WCPA network, particularly through a number of meetings. He has also played an excellent and greatly valued role on the WCPA Steering Committee and the WCPA Executive Committee. His wise and clear counsel has always been greatly appreciated, and has usually turned out to be right. Through his many years on the WCPA Steering Committee, Bruce has clearly demonstrated that he is one of the worlds leading thinkers and practitioners in relation to protected areas. IUCN wishes Bruce all the best for his retirement and will do its best to encourage him to get even deeper and further involved with WCPA.

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Clive W. Marsh

This is a tribute to the late Dr Clive W. Marsh. Clive made substantial contributions to conservation and was instrumental in the establishment of new protected areas, as well as being a strong supporter of WCPA.

A Tribute to the Late Dr Clive W. Marsh  

Fred M. Packard International Parks Merit Awards Ceremony for Clive Marsh

Fred M. Packard International Parks Merit Award (award text)

Sabah Environmental Recognition Night 2001 (pdf, 578K)

Fred M. Packard International Parks Merit Awards Ceremony for Clive Marsh

Marco Marsh accepts Packard Award for his father

Clive's son, Marco Marsh was at the ceremony to collect the award on behalf of his father. Marco wanted to share his speech with you.

Dear All

We have just returned from the Mulu National Park in Miri, Sarawak where I accepted the Fred Packard Award on behalf of my Dad. The award was given by the World Commission on Protected Areas in recognition of Dad's work in conservation. Mr. Affendi who I understand is the WCPA representative for Asia said some very good things about my Dad in his speech. In reply, I also gave a speech which I would like to share with you. You have all been very supportive to us during our difficult time. My mum and my brother Carl say hi to everyone.

Marco

Thank you Mr. Affendi for your very nice speech.

Good evening everybody. It is good to be here. My name is Marco, and I have a few things to say for my family.

My Mum said, normally awards are given to people when they are still alive. In my Dad's case, it is the other way around. For that reason we are here to receive the Packard award for him.

On behalf of my Mum, my brother Carl and of course my Dad, I would like to thank the IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas for the recognition of Dad's work in conservation.

I remember very well the first time I went to the forest with Dad. I was only four years old when he took me to Danum Valley. He made sure I was properly fitted out: long trousers, long sleeved shirt, sensible walking shoes, a hat and leech socks. He also insisted that I was well equipped: a water bottle, a pen and a notebook, a pair of binoculars around my neck and some toilet paper. I had a great time walking in the forest and listening to his explanation about all the things we saw.

Dad really loved his work. When he was setting up the Danum Valley Field Centre and the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, he went there every month for at least a week. Sometimes longer. He did that for 14 years. I am sure my Mum grumbled about it. There was nothing that Dad enjoyed more than being in the wild. Even when we were on family holidays, he made sure we visited some National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries. That's Dad!

In Laos, he had fewer field trips, but I think they were more difficult than going to Danum Valley. I knew that because he always came home tired and hungry. One day I asked him what he had for lunch in the forest. He said "Grasshopper Sandwich!"

In August 1999, I climbed Mt. Kinabalu with Dad, together with Mr. Stuart Chape and Mr. Joe DeMaria, who are good friends of our family. It was a memorable trip. How I wish Dad is here with us today to explore the Mulu National Park with me. He would love it!

I hope one day you will make it to Danum Valley, walk along the Clive Marsh Trail and catch up with my Dad's spirit. See you there!

Thank you.

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"The late Dr Clive W. Marsh made substantial contributions to conservation and was instrumental in the establishment of new protected areas in Kenya (Tana River Primate Reserve) and Borneo (Danum Valley and Maliau Basin). Working with Yayasan Sabah in Sabah he helped foster conservation within working production forests and encouraged young Malaysian students to undertake research and training on conservation issues. Clive's final years were spent in Lao PDR working to promote the conservation of some of the least-known tropical forests in the world. Clive was Senior Conservation Advisor to the Lao PDR Government and in that position sought to strengthen protected area management throughout Laos' new protected area system. He organised a WCPA regional meeting at Pakse, Lao PDR, in 1999 for park managers and protected area professionals from Southeast Asia. The Pakse discussions and field trips to protected areas helped to foster collaboration that have led to several follow-up regional initiatives. Clive Marsh was a strong supporter of WCPA and helped to establish and strengthen key conservation areas in Africa and Southeast Asia. He will be remembered with affection and respect by friends and colleagues in the conservation community."

David Sheppard on behalf of Kenton Miller
Chair, World Commission on Protected Areas

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P.H.C. Bing Lucas

P.H.C. 'Bing' Lucas passed away on 16 December 2000. We have assembled a collection of tributes to him from his friends, colleagues and admirers around the world.

INTRODUCTION

P.H.C. (Bing) Lucas died on 16 December 2000. He was walking with members of his family on the Queen Charlotte Walkway in New Zealand, when he collapsed from a massive heart attack and died quickly.

His death brought forth many tributes - we assemble here those which come from his friends and admirers around the world.

The first part contains the complete and moving tribute from Paul Dingwall at Bing's funeral n 20 December, plus extracts from some other contributions from that sad day.

 The second part is a collection of spontaneous responses from people around the world on hearing of Bing's passing. These are not formal tributes - just the outpouring of grief and shock, but also of love and admiration, which were brought forth by his sudden death.

To quote from just one among many, many moving phrases:

 "A lovely sparkling man who thought only well of others".

PART I - TRIBUTES FROM THE FUNERAL IN NEW ZEALAND, 20 DECEMBER 2000

BING by Paul Dingwall

In the Province of Sichuan, deep in the heartland of China, lies the magnificent Juizhaigou Nature Reserve. It's an extensive mountain park, reminiscent of our own Southern Alps national parks, and is one of the world's natural treasures. At the gateway to the park, surrounded by nine newly constructed international-standard hotels, is an impressive set of panels displaying images of the park and messages of welcome for visitors. Prominent among these is a series of large coloured photographs, framed behind glass, featuring one man - Bing Lucas - photographs taken to record his official inspection that led to designation of the reserve as a World Heritage Site.

These images bear graphic witness to the reverence, honour and high esteem in which Bing is held - not only in China but throughout the world, as an acknowledged leader of the conservation movement.

Bing's outstanding leadership and long commitment to conservation were recognised by his professional peers when the World Conservation Union (IUCN) - the world's largest and most influential conservation organisation - enrolled him as a Member of Honour. Bing is the only New Zealander, and one of the few in the world, on whom this honour has been bestowed.

Rather than accepting the award as a culmination of his achievements and taking the well-earned chance to wind down, Bing carried on with renewed commitment and vigour, retaining a high-profile role in IUCN until resigning as Vice-Chairman World Heritage just a few weeks ago. Thus, he concluded an active involvement which spanned more than 30 years of that organisation's 50-year history.

But Bing's work began, of course, in New Zealand. He first rose to prominence as a professional conservationist in 1969 when, as an administration officer for reserves in the Department of Lands & Survey, he won a Winston Churchill Fellowship for a study tour of the national parks of North America. His skilfully crafted report entitled "Conserving New Zealand's Heritage" (which he told me he wrote while on a family holiday at Farewell Spit in Golden Bay), stands as a landmark in the history of conservation in this country. In his foreword to the report, the then Minister of Lands, Duncan MacIntyre, with masterly understatement, expressed the hope that the report would "assist materially in stimulating thought and further action."

In fact, Bing's 38 "Lessons for New Zealand" became the blueprint for the modern development of New Zealand's national parks and reserves system. Bing's appointment as the first Director of Parks and Reserves provided an effective platform from which to launch his ideas - among the most important of which were:

• greatly expanded park interpretation and public education; 

• improved and well co-ordinated administration and financing;

• underpinning of management with planning and science; and above all

• a professional, well-trained and uniformed park ranger service that was to grow to become the envy of the world. The foresight of Bing's conviction that highly skilled field staff are the key to the success of parks is manifest in the team of dedicated operations staff in the Department of Conservation today.

Paralleling these innovations was Bing's influential role in weaving the policy and legal fabric for the country's parks and reserves. Included in this is the Reserves Act of 1977, which is still regarded as among the best- crafted and most effective conservation laws in existence anywhere in the world. Bing also supported stronger legal protection for indigenous wildlife and State forests; while the opening up of Crown lands as Farm Parks for public recreation and nature protection, and the extension of protection to the coastal realm in the Maritime Parks of the Marlborough Sounds and the Bay of Islands are among the other notable achievements during Bing's tenure of leadership.

Extending beyond public lands, Bing was central to initiatives for heritage protection and recreation on private lands, particularly Open Space Covenants under the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Act, and construction of a national network of walking tracks under the NZ Walkways Act - comprising a superb system of 126 tracks by the time he retired (how supremely fitting, therefore, that Bing should spend the last hours of his life enjoying the pleasures of one of the country's finest walkways).

During Bing's reign at the top, the groundwork was laid for establishment of the Whanganui and Paparoa National Parks - the first such parks created after a gap of 23 years; and with the National Parks & Reserves Authority he launched the Protected Natural Areas Programme, for extending and diversifying the reserves network.

At the time of Bing's retirement as Director-General of Lands in 1986, New Zealand's system of national parks and reserves was widely hailed as the finest in the world. His vision and tireless efforts set the stage for the smooth transition to the stewardship of the present Department of Conservation. We can but stand in awe of his many achievements, which rank him as an equal among the greatest names of New Zealand conservation. To the roll of honour that includes such notable politicians, officials and naturalists as Thomas Potts, William Fox, W.T.L. Travers, Leonard Cockayne, Harry Ell, A.P. Harper and Lance McKaskill, we can add with acclaim the name of P.H.C. (Bing) Lucas.

To have achieved all he did in his New Zealand working career is surely enough for anyone - but Bing was someone special, and he went much further in taking his professional interests and convictions onto the world stage. Even early in his role as Director of Parks and Reserves, and with his growing IUCN connections, New Zealand began to make an important contribution to the development of national parks in Nepal - notably the creation of Sagarmatha NP in the Mount Everest region - building upon the heroic and humanitarian exploits of Edmund Hillary - and also in Peru and the island states of the South Pacific.

From 1971 when he joined IUCN's Parks Commission - the world's leading body of protected area experts - over the next three decades he served as its Regional Vice-Chair for the NZ, Pacific and Antarctic Regions; as Deputy Chairman; as Chairman; as Senior Advisor; and finally as Vice-Chair for World Heritage. He held the post of IUCN Regional Councillor for Australia/Oceania, during which time in 1981 New Zealand hosted a General Assembly of IUCN. His promotion of the innovative protected and cultural landscapes led to his writing of the definitive book on the subject and to inscription of Tongariro National Park as the first cultural landscape on the World Heritage List. Bing served on the Steering Committee that organised two World Park Congresses, and he represented IUCN at a host of international conferences, and on countless missions to every inhabited continent in the world - much of this work being undertaken on a voluntary basis.

Through all this, what a wonderfully supportive wife Joyce was for Bing, in not only tolerating such long and frequent absences from home, but also serving as his loyal and unpaid secretary. Bing could never have achieved what he did without her. God bless you, Joyce, and thank you for so generously sharing Bing with the world's conservation community.

Bing was a marvellous ambassador for New Zealand - offering this country's experience, tempered by his wide knowledge of other countries, in the hope that what had been done here others might aspire to follow.

He is remembered and exhalted among his colleagues and friends in conservation as a tireless worker, a dependable voice of calm when the going got tough; a man endowed with outstanding qualities of balance and sound judgement; a consensus-builder with a unique ability to find the best way through a tangled problem and solve it with quiet firmness. He is admired for his immense honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, openness, warmth and friendliness - his genius lay in an outstanding ability to relate to people, treating everyone he met with the same degree of respect - whether a typist in the office or a national president, whether in a mud hut in Africa or in a European palace.

Bing was irrepressible, even playing on when injured - I have vivid memories of an incident during a congress session in South America, when a heavy television lamp standard toppled on Bing, stunning him temporarily and gashing his head badly, so that he looked like Andrew Mehrtens emerging battered from beneath a Springbok ruck. After having been dispatched to hospital, stitched up and heavily bandaged, to the astonishment of fellow participants, he was soon back leading a discussion in the conference forum. I was sharing a room with Bing at the time and plied him with healing cups of tea.

For me and for so many others, Bing was more than a professional colleague - he was a mentor and friend. He leaves an enduring mark on the minds, hearts, places and landscapes of people throughout New Zealand and the world. His passing creates a void that can never be adequately filled, and tragically, we are denied the further wisdom from his planned memoirs. But his example lives on in the life and work of the countless people he touched in the noble cause of conservation.

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David McDowell (New Zealand):

His standing was not based on a flashy personality or a quick tongue. It was based on:

wisdom deeply rooted in experience; plain common sense coupled with the ability to think laterally; and transparent integrity, coupled with a naturally sunny disposition.

There was one other quality which was fundamental. Cath Wallace - an old IUCN colleague -captured it in a statement she made yesterday "Bing had an engaging personality, seemingly able to relate well to all." Presidents or peasants, Bing got along well with them all.

Bing, you will gather, was deeply respected by his colleagues. By some he was revered. By all, he was loved. That is unusual in the often austere world of conservation. Bing - Big Fella - we shall all miss you greatly, and we thank God for your life."

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Wren Green (New Zealand):

As we filed slowly out of the Church into the overcast afternoon, I felt overwhelmed not only by what this one person had done and achieved in his 75 years on Earth, but also by the way he had lived.

Perhaps it had only been during this special afternoon, so sad yet so affirming, that friends beyond Bing's family realised what a remarkable man we had known. Tawa residents found out about his enormous international standing. IUCN supporters discovered that despite his global travels Bing was deeply rooted to his local community in a way few of us are these days. And we were reminded of the depth of his Christian faith and love that sustained and shaped his values, a faith he lived by but never pushed onto people.

The word that recurred throughout the tributes, and the conversations with people outside, in my phone-calls to distant countries, and from e-mail messages of condolences was "mentor". Bing was a mentor for people from Tawa to the world, encouraging kids and adults alike to live to their potential and do good in the world.

As Les Molloy murmured to me before the Service: It is like a giant matai tree has fallen in the forest. We are blinking like saplings in the sudden sunlight. Hey, I'm not ready for this yet! Are we able to grow into the space?

And finally Pastor Brent Smallbone (of Tawa):

"We have seen the life that he lived - no wonder we celebrate, no wonder we mourn."

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PART 2 - SPONTANEOUS TRIBUTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Bruce Amos (Canada):

On behalf of Parks Canada and all the North American members of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, I am writing to express our deepest sympathies on the occasion of Bing's untimely death. Bing was a leader, a friend and a mentor to many conservationists in North America over several decades. He brought a wealth of experience not only from his home country of New Zealand but also his work in from many other parts of the world to the highest councils of IUCN, UNESCO/ World Heritage Committee and our Commission. When Bing spoke, we listened and we learned. His wisdom, his deep commitment to conservation, and his fundamental love for all humankind will always stand as lessons for each of us. We have lost a dear friend and colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of family sorrow. I hope your grieving can be tempered by the knowledge that the world is a better place for Bing's life among us, and that we will strive to continue his work.

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Roger Beale (Australia):

Bing was a person of great stature in the international community and his contribution to global conservation over the decades is irreplaceable. However, Bing will live on, not only in the hearts and minds of all those who were privileged to know him as a wonderful, warm person, but also through his achievements in conservation. There are many World Heritage and other conservation areas around the world that exist because of Bing's vision and commitment, but especially in our region. He was always striving, to quote one of his publications, for a "harmonious balance of people and nature". Australia has been a beneficiary of Bing's ethos over the years through his support for our World Heritage nominations, including Fraser Island, the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania and, most recently, the Blue Mountains - and for that support we are very grateful. Bing is a reminder that for all the commitment and dedication of all those working in environmental conservation we need people like him who can look beyond the immediate issues and show us a visionary approach to progressing our goals. We shall miss this vision and foresight.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to be with Bing in Cairns at the recent World Heritage Committee meeting and to move a motion of appreciation on behalf of all Committee members. I am also glad that there were so many people present, as always, who knew Bing and who were able to thank him, especially as outgoing WCPA Vice Chair for World Heritage, for his contributions and service to heritage conservation.

Bing was a special person with special gifts, and we shall miss him greatly.

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Arnold Boehr (Netherlands):

Very sad news indeed. Bing was also for us a "father" of the IUCN/WCPA -family. I met him for the first time in '78 in Amsterdam and the last time during the Europarc General Assembly in Slovenia.

He was an outstanding and experienced leader; at the same time he was friendly and enthusiastic to everybody. Joke (my wife) called him always "Uncle Kiwi", which he liked very much. We will miss him.

Gerardo Budowski (Costa Rica):

I was shocked by the news about Bing Lucas. He was such a combination of warm, competent, helpful, inspiring considerate person. He will be badly missed, especially by some of the older IUCN generation.

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Aitken Clark (UK):

The news of Bing is so sad. We have all been enriched by knowing him. A lovely sparkling man who thought only well of others.

Gerard Collin (France):

I have just received from Marija ZUPANCIC and Adrian PHILLIPS the very bad news of the death of Bing LUCAS.

As everyone in our field I know him and I have had in relation to some of my missions to receive advises and comments from him, the last one being on Sintra WHS.

I do not want to make a long talk about this sad event but just simply testify of my friendship for Bing and transmit that to the IUCN family and to Bing's Family.

Roger Crofts (Scotland, UK):

He even found time to guide Scotland into the era of National Parks and made sure that we are a full member of the international family; and he did it with a gleam in his eye, a smile on his face, a warm heart and a powerful intellect.

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Natalia Danilina (Russian Federation):

Dear Joyce, all the family and Bing's friends!

All of us, my colleagues and me grieve strongly about your loss. It is also a loss for us.

Bing did a lot for the development of the Protected Areas network. For me as well as for many of my colleagues he was really a Teacher.

I was lucky to work with Bing Lukas whom I always considered to be very bright person. His energy and sense of humor always amazed us. We sincerely share you grief and will keep the memory of Bing in our hearts.

Bud Ehler (USA):

I share with you all our sincere sympathy. While I only knew Bing briefly, I recognised him as one of the giants in our community: a compassionate heart, a fierce commitment to conservation, and a wise counsellor that has changed the face of conservation nationally and internationally. His skilful means to give cheer to the soul and stir us with an idea made him more than a leader and mentor. He was a true friend.

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Juan Carlos Godoy (Guatemala):

Siento mucho la muerte de Bing! Un abrazo para ti, y para Bing su memoria energetica siempre en mi.

Larry Hamilton (USA):

I have known Bing since 1978 when I was a visiting professor at the University of Waikato, but it was from 1985 on in the Commission that the acquaintance became a collegial and personal relationship.  It was largely Bing who brought me from the fold of the Commission on Ecology to the CNPPA.  I treasure that long association.

And Linda fell under the spell of this small man with the big heart from their first meeting, at the IUCN General Assembly in Christchurch.  Their friendship grew strong during Bing's time at the East West Center in Hawaii as a Fellow a few years later.

During a complex World Heritage evaluation of the Queensland Wet Tropics, Bing and I were christened the "Silver Foxes" by the family of one of the timber getters who were opposed to World Heritage status for the area.  The designation Silver Fox I or II (and the choice of who got the one decent bed in our cabin, since being the youngest, Jim Thorsell got the floor), -- was determined by age seniority.  As we narrowed down from year to month to day, it turned out that I was Silver Fox I by being one day older, and Bing became Silver Fox II.  This appellation has stuck, but in reality if ever there was a senior Silver Fox, it was Bing.  He is Número Uno, and I hereby renounce the use of my Silver Fox title henceforth.  To me, he is Silver Fox I and a hero, a warrior for conservation, one of the most dedicated and effective individuals working for nature and for people that I have ever met in my 75 years. 

Thank you Bing!  We love you.  And we will continue to feel inspired and encouraged by the aloha which radiated from your generous spirit.  

May a good Irish wake to celebrate a wonderful and productive life be carried out around this planet Earth by his friends!

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Tony Hams (UK):

It seems strange doesn't it that you, Adrian, and I were only talking so fondly about him so very recently. A sparkling fellow whom I only met for a few days in the USA and then fleetingly at Huddersfield Town FC when he was here to support his beloved Ipswich.

Jerry Harrison (UK):

The death of anyone comes as a shock, but the death of someone so patently alive to the world as Bing hits harder than most.

One should be thankful that he appears to have died quickly, one should be thankful that he died with his family, and one should be thankful that he died in a place he loved. But I would wish that he were still with us.

I will remember Bing for his professional approach, for his authority and for his competence. Rather more I will remember him for his enthusiasm, his openness and his friendliness. But most of all I will remember his for his friendly smile and greeting.

You may be interested to know that Bing and I shared common interests in music, and one of the things that he did for me during last year was to send me a copy of the Saultalk book and a copy of the tape. That amazing community project seems to me another demonstration of the man I knew. While I always met him on the international stage, I always saw him as a man whose roots were in the community.

As Paul said in his tribute "his genius lay in an outstanding ability to relate to people, treating everyone he met with the same degree of respect - whether a typist in the office or a national president, whether in a mud hut in Africa or in a European palace". If everyone who knew him could emulate this philosophy of life, the world will be a better place.

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Bill Henwood (Canada):

I have just learned of Bing's death, and it has shocked and saddened me to the core, as I know it has for so many of Bing's friends, as evidenced by the many messages you have received. I equate my 20-year involvement with IUCN with the life changing significance of meeting Bing for the first time at the IUCN General Assembly in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981. In the youth of my career at that time, he stood out as someone to emulate, to learn from, and yes, as a fellow short person, to be inspired by! He was a giant of a man, and in meeting him again from time to time over the last two decades, he has never ceased to impress and inspire me. We will all miss him greatly, and must aspire collectively to fill the vast void he leaves behind.

Frits Hesselink (Netherlands):

My sincere condolences to WCPA with the passing away of its former Chair, Bing Lucas. As a deputy Chair, I had the opportunity to meet him at several occasions in Gland and of course I saw him operate during the Caracas Parks Congress. He was a most impressive and inspiring Chair. He was also very open and helpful when I asked him for some advice - as a new comer to IUCN and a beginning deputy chair - on a shared train ride back from Gland to the airport. Please let his wife and family know how well regarded he was in all of IUCN, and not only in WCPA.

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Lynn Holowesko (Bahamas):

Such a warm hearted, wonderful man - we will all miss him terribly.

N. Ishwaran (Sri Lanka and France):

This is very sad news! Bing was a great promoter of conservation and a wonderful human being.

Destry Jarvis, (USA):

I just heard yesterday that Bing Lucas has died. What a sad day for international parks conservation work. He was a real giant and true gentleman. Although I did not know him as well personally as you, I do share the sense of loss that his death brings, and the tremendous void that his passing leaves in the conservation field. I hope that a very suitable memorial can be developed so that a tangible record of his many accomplishments will remain to inspire others.

Yolanda Kakabadse (Ecuador):

We will all miss Bing, a committed and delightful companion of IUCN, and of each one of those who worked with him.

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Graeme Kelleher (Australia):

This is a really sad end to 2000. Like many others, I held Bing in the highest professional and personal regard. He was a true friend - full of honesty, courage, compassion and humour. He is irreplaceable, but he will continue to enrich our lives, in memory.

I know that we shall all seek ways to recognise him formally as a truly great person. Forgive me for this thought, but I do believe this is the way that Bing would like to have gone - celebrating New Zealand's marvellous natural heritage, to which he has contributed so much.

Gai Kula (Papua New Guinea):

This is very very sad. I have known Bing for a long time and he was always moving around. Yes it is a big loss.

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Walter Lusigi (Kenya and USA):

I am in Bonn where I am attending meetings of the CCD/COP and unusually when I am on mission I turned on my laptop this morning only to find the sad news about Bing. He was a man I admired greatly for his dedication and commitment to global conservation. I regret that he has passed away before responding to his long standing invitation to visit New Zealand. I will miss Bing greatly in WCPA as he symbolized WCPAs strength. I hope we can find the best way to honour him in IUCN.

Samy Mankoto Ma Mbaelele (Democratic Republic of Congo and France):

Je ne le savais pas. Pardonnez-moi. C'est en me trouvant ici a White Oak a la réunion du Core Groupe sur le Projet UNESCO/UNF/RDC que je viens juste d'apprendre la terrible nouvelle de la disparition de Bing LUCAS depuis le 17 décembre dernier.

Cette nouvelle m'a terriblement afflige d'autant plus que j'ai eu le privilège de travailler comme Vice-Chair CNPPA (WCPA) avec Bing comme Chairman de la Commission. Et jusqu'à sa mort les Africains ont continue toujours a l'appeler "President" (Chairman). Un homme de grande valeur, dévoué a la cause de la conservation, et qui n'a ménage aucun effort pour promouvoir les idéaux de conservation et de l'UICN dans le monde. La preuve est que la mort le surprendra en famille dans le Queen Charlotte Trail a Marlborough dans son New Zealand natal: tout un message comme pour nous dire qu'il nous faut continuer cette oeuvre immense qu'il n'a pas pu achever... Bing nous laisse un modèle de courage, de perspicacité et de professionnalisme a suivre dans notre combat de tous les jours pour la conservation de la biodiversité et le développement durable.

Il n'est jamais trop tard pour mieux faire, dit-on. Aussi, je souhaite joindre ma modeste voix a toutes celles d'éminents Collègues qui m'ont précède pour adresser a sa famille toutes nos condoléances les plus attristées et notre sympathie. Que Son âme repose en paix et que la Terre de nos Aïeux Lui soit douce et légère.

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John Marsh (Canada):

I knew Bing for over 20 years, always found him such a positive, decent, thoughtful fellow, and so committed to our cause!

Kenton Miller (USA):

Bing gave infectious enthusiasm to us all by his love of people, and his deep feeling for nature. He was always there for each one of us as a friend, a mentor, and a spiritual guide. He provided an anchor to our WCPA, helping us stay the course when we have been under pressures to cave in and take the easy way. Our hearts go out to Joyce and Bing's family, he leaves a giant space that must be filled by a lifetime of wonderful memories.

I recall my first visit to NZ when Bing invited me as Chair to speak to and participate in the 25th Anniversary of the National Parks program in the late 1970s. Afterwards, Bing took me on a 10-day trip to visit NZ's wonder parks from the northern to the southern tip of the Islands. We got to know each other well on that trip, and established a friendship that lasted until now. Bing served as my Deputy thereafter, and of course, later became Chair. I will miss him greatly. 

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Rob Milne (USA):

I mourn our collective loss of a dear friend, an indefatigable conservationist and a wonderful human being. Rich memories of shared time in so many places over so many years. For a little guy, he was huge. His advice to us at Yellowstone in 1972 is as applicable today as it was then: "...if it is worth doing, do it, and be good"... with his emphasis on good as a person, as well as a practitioner. He did both so very well and was right on all counts. He will be missed.

Nora Mitchell, (USA):

I am at loss for words to express the feeling of a sudden absence of such a wonderful colleague and friend. I only know I will miss his laughter, his spirit and his steadfast commitment to conservation - and even though I rarely saw him, he served as an inspiration to me - and to so many others - over many years. 

Khawar Mumtaz (Pakistan):

Bing Lucas's death is an unexpected loss for the conservation community and particularly IUCN. It was fortunate that his family was with him when he suffered the heart attack. I did not know Bing closely but was an admirer of his work and commitment.

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Shona Murray (New Zealand):

Yesterday's funeral was a great tribute to a great man. We will all miss him terribly. Even though we lived so close to him we realised yesterday just how much more of the person there was than we had ever known. The tributes ranged from his environmental work internationally, his work here in New Zealand, his contribution to the local community through church, school, young people and musicals, to local politics. There was a tribute from a man who had been like the brother Bing never had, and another read by a friend which expressed the family's tributes. He was a loved Dad, Grandfather, Husband, friend, mentor, counsellor, etc etc. Thank you for all the emails that have come through this address. I have passed them all on to Joyce, who is in her own way equally amazing. She has mothered so many of us over the years. She has certainly been a tower of strenghth to Bing.

Adrian Phillips (UK):

Only two weeks ago, Bing and I were walking in the Mossman Gorge in Queensland. He was in fine form, walking energetically, and talking about that Queen Charlotte Walkway holiday with the family, and to which he was so much looking forward. I find it very hard to believe that he is no longer with us.

I was shocked at the news, as we all are, and feel a deep sense of loss at personal level. But beyond, that the whole conservation movement is deprived of one of its most outstanding leaders. Well into his seventies, long after others have hung up their boots, Bing was still 110% active and on the ball. His astonishing energies belied his age; his personal and professional qualities spoke to people of all parts of the world. He is literally irreplaceable.

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Kishore Rao (India and Vietnam):

I am shocked by this tragic event; who could have imagined that such an active and lively person would leave us so soon and so suddenly.

I had met Bing exactly 10 years ago for the first time at the Perth GA of IUCN and was deeply touched by his interest and enthusiasm for the cause of conservation in different parts of the world. Over the years, my admiration for him continued to grow and I never stopped to marvel at the high quality work that he continued to produce and by the clarity of his intellect. I consider myself fortunate for having had the opportunity to work with him on several occasions over the years, chiefly through the WCPA.

I wholeheartedly support your suggestion that WCPA should do something to mark Bing's memory in a befitting manner so that he continues to inspire the future generation of conservationists.

May his soul rest in peace.

Pedro Rosabal (Cuba and Switzerland):

To all of you that knew Bing this news will be shocking. I can't tell how we feel after so many years enjoying his energy and wisdom. He always had a nice word to encourage people and to make us feel proud to work with him. Personally I will never forget how he comforted my family in very difficult times. I can only summarise his life with few words:

"Gray-headedness is a crown of beauty, when it is found in the way of righteousness" (Proverbs 16:31)

"A true companion is loving all the time, and is a brother that is born for when there is distress" (Proverbs 17:17). 

We will always remember him as an extraordinary example to follow!

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David Sheppard (Australia and Switzerland):

Bing was a one in a million and it was great honour to have been able to work so closely with him for so many years. He was a continual source of inspiration. He was with us all, as always, at the World Heritage Committee Meeting in Cairns, Australia two weeks ago. He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave and was always 100% "on the ball" in relation to his interventions, his knowledge of and commitment to World Heritage and his boundless enthusiasm.

He was also much more than a source of inspiration in a professional sense - he was a warm, caring, friendly and always positive friend to all of us in the WCPA family.

Richard Smith (USA):

On behalf of the member associations of the International Ranger Federation, I want to extend to you our deepest sympathies on the death of Bing Lucas. Mr. Lucas was always a friend of park rangers and went out of his way, on his many field trips to protected areas, to personally greet the rangers who were facilitating the details of his visits. I met him in 1992 during his visit to Santa Fe for a World Heritage Committee meeting. I was impressed with his obvious commitment to the preservation and protection of the world's patrimony. The world conservation community has lost a true leader and we rangers, a staunch ally. Please be assured that we will carry on his work in his memory.

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Di Tarte (Australia):

Also spoke with Pam Eiser who was shocked by the news given Bing's apparent good health in Cairns.

Let's find a way to say thanks to Bing through the WCPA/IUCN networks - although as a friend recently said, too often the thank-yous and public recognition are left till after the person has died.

 The Hon. Rod Welford (Australia):

Minister Pays Tribute To World Conservation Leader

The world has lost an outstanding conservationist with the death of Bing Lucas, who achieved much for World Heritage Areas in Queensland and around the world, Environment and Heritage Minister, Rod Welford, said today.

Mr Lucas, 75, died suddenly at the weekend while walking with his family in New Zealand's' Marlborough Sounds.

"Bing devoted his life to conservation and his passion and commitment to Queensland's natural areas spanned more than 30 years," Mr Welford said.

"He was responsible for the assessment of Fraser Island for World Heritage listing and was also involved with the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics World Heritage Areas.

"Queensland owes Bing Lucas a great deal for raising the profile of our magnificent natural areas internationally through his role on the assessment panel for World Heritage areas. "He had close ties to many officers in the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service who will miss his enthusiasm and professionalism.

"Mr Lucas contributed to the draft Queensland Parks 'Master Plan' and was present at its recent launch in Cairns. "He was dedicated to conservation and gave a moving speech about looking after our planet," Mr Welford said.

Mr Lucas had a distinguished career in the New Zealand Government, rising to Director-General of the Department of Lands and Survey which included national parks and helping to lay the foundations of the present Department of Conservation. After retiring, he became involved with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and served the World Commission on Protected Areas as Chair and Vice-Chair.

"Bing was regarded as a true gentleman and was respected by all sides of politics and the green movement. He will be missed.

"My condolences and those of all Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff go to his wife Joyce and their family."

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Lily Tian Xinmin (China):

I'm very sorry to hear the sad news that our respected Dr.P.H.C. (Bing) Lucas passed away from us, just after four days he sent a fax to me. In order to show my respects to Dr. Lucas, I shall carry on the work more for the nature conservation and protection for the World Heritage.

Marija Zupancic-Vicar (Slovenia):

Bing made it, like so many other friends and outstanding persons within WCPA, that we became a big family, no regard  from which part of the world, which colour or religion we were coming. I had the privilege to learn from Bing and to feel his warm friendship and his support.

Bing is a great loss for all of us, however, he gave us so much and he will remain in my memories as a great person and friend. 

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Malcolm Payne

Europarc, the umbrella organisation of Europe's protected areas, uniting national, regional and nature parks as well as biosphere reserves in 35 countries, awarded in October 2001 its Alfred Toepfer Medal to Malcolm Payne of Pitcairngreen, Scotland. This medal is awarded annually in recognition of an individual's service to the nature and national parks of Europe. In Malcolm's case the award reflects his work over more than 30 years in Scotland to demonstrate and develop the role of ranger services, his strenuous efforts to organise the 1993 Europarc conference, but above all his tenacious and untiring efforts to promote the cause of National Parks in Scotland, his work for Scottish Natural Heritage, and in part his engagement with international bodies, which helped to keep pressure on British governments to develop a Park system in Scotland

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Adrian Phillips

A tribute to Adrian Phillips, who served as WCPA Chair from 1993 to 2000 and who is now the Vice-Chair of the WCPA World Heritage Theme Programme.

This note pays tribute to WCPA Chair, Adrian Phillips. Adrian has served as WCPA Chair from 1993 and has made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Commission and to protected areas throughout the world, throughout this time. Adrian has brought an amazing range of skills to this position. First, his unparalleled depth of experience in the field of conservation and protected areas, spanning 40 years, all continents, and staff positions with UNEP, IUCN, the United Kingdom Countryside Commission (as Director General) and the University of Cardiff (as Professor of Countryside and Environmental Planning). Second, his clarity of thought and ability to distill and synthesize complex issues and arguments and present them in a clear and understandable way. Adrian's remarkable skills in this area have been invaluable in forums ranging from site visits to protected areas, to international for such as the IUCN World Conservation Congress and World Parks Congress. Third, his ability and willingness to work incredibly hard and efficiently, often behind the scenes, for the benefit of conservation and protected areas. Last, but by no means least, his personal qualities, particularly in the way in which he deals with people, from all walks of life. All who have met Adrian are touched by his warmth, sincerity and genuine interest. The Protected Areas Team at the IUCN Headquarters would like to express its deepest gratitude and admiration to Adrian for all he has done for WCPA and for protected areas over many years, but particularly in the period since 1993 to 2000, when he has been the WCPA Chair. We wish him all the best for the future and hope that he will continue to be involved with the work of WCPA in an appropriate capacity.

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