Academy of Sciences Malaysia senior fellow Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid has been appointed ambassador and science adviser to the global Campaign for Nature, a partnership between the Wyss Campaign for Nature and the National Geographic Society.
The partnership works with a growing coalition of more than 100 conservation organisations around the world to call on policymakers to commit to a science-driven and ambitious new deal for nature — a focal issue to be discussed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity slotted for next year in Kunming, China.
The campaign is said to be of great urgency as evidenced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the transmission of infectious diseases from wildlife to humans.
A 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) also indicated that such transmissions might be exarcebated by human activities, such as land clearing and habitat fragmentation.
Campaign for Nature director Brian O’Donnell said: “Professor Zakri was invited to be part of the campaign in recognition of his role as the founding chairman of IPBES, which comprises 134 member states, and his years as a member of former United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon’s Scientific Advisory Board.”
“The 2019 IPBES report initiated during Professor Zakri’s time as chairman showed that up to one million species are at risk of extinction and that governments around the world must take ambitious, transformative actions to address this threat to our natural world.
“The 10 Asean countries can play a major role in developing a solution to the biodiversity crisis, and we are excited to have the chance to work closely with them, with Professor Zakri facilitating those and other connections.”
Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman said the appointment was the latest in a long list of recognitions during Zakri’s illustrious national and international career.
Zakri is a former MIGHT joint-chairman and is now a senior associate at the government think tank.
He also chairs Atri Advisory, a consulting company to governments and international organisations on the practice of sustainable development.
Last year, he received the prestigious National Academic Laureate Award at the Malaysian Education Ministry’s 13th National Academic Award.
“Professor Zakri has played a towering role in Malaysia’s governance of science and is recognised worldwide as a leading science thought leader, particularly in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use,” said Mohd Yusoff.
When asked to comment, Zakri said: “This recognition is not so much for me as it is for Malaysia.
“Our country has been playing a constructive and proactive role in the governance of sustainable development since the Earth Summit in 1992. As one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world, we have a heavy responsibility to ensure that biodiversity is conserved and used in a sustainable way.”
The Campaign for Nature specifically calls on world leaders to commit to protecting at least 30 per cent of the planet by 2030; help mobilise financial resources to ensure protected areas are properly managed; and, approach biodiversity conservation in a way that fully integrates and respects indigenous leadership and rights.