Dr. Horwich (middle) with Larry Jacobsen, left, and Dr. Joseph Kemnitz (Director, WNPRC), right

HORWICH EARNS FIRST WNPRC JACOBSEN CONSERVATION AWARD

Robert Horwich, Director of Community Conservation, Inc., a nonprofit  conservation organization based in Gays Mills, Wisconsin, is the first recipient of the Lawrence Jacobsen Conservation Research Award and received this award at a ceremony in Madison on December 4, 2007. This award from the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center supports studies in applied conservation biology that protect non-human primate species and their habitats. The award will benefit Dr. Horwich’s ongoing work to conserve the golden langur monkey in India.

The Golden Langur Conservation Project blends conservation, research, education, economic development and community development. Horwich aims to use the award to step up conservation and evaluation efforts at one focal area, the 17.2 sq. Kakoijana Reserve Forest. Project participants, including national forest members and villagers from adjacent communities, plan to measure changes in reforestation, the increase in golden langurs, and changes in economic development within 10 communities surrounding Kakoijana.

“We focus on the full range of the golden langur in western Assam, India,” Horwich said. “We work with more than 130 villages to create forest protection committees and self-help groups that create economic opportunities for villagers.”

A holistic community conservation approach is the best way to ensure long-term conservation success, according to Horwich. Through such an approach, local project leaders help neighboring communities work together to create a research program, encourage villager interest,  train participants, observe and collect data on animal populations, feeding and behavior, and provide community incentives to protect the langurs and their habitat.

"The approach engenders conservation awareness in individuals who are already knowledgeable about the flora and fauna," Horwich said. "It also encourages those with untapped interests and abilities to contribute." He explained that traditional conservation efforts are based on the assumption that poor rural villagers respond mainly to financial incentives. “We have found, however, that by treating villagers with respect and giving them responsibility, they become active conservationists,” he said.

The project will run from January to December 2008. The grant will fund the hiring and training of additional community research assistants, on-site transportation, binoculars and GPS units. The annual $5,000 award is given to students or faculty affiliated with an academic institution or a non-governmental agency focusing on primate conservation.

The Lawrence Jacobsen WNPRC Conservation Research Award is named after the Primate Center Library's director from 1973-2003. Jacobsen's many honors while serving in this position included receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Primatologists in 1997 and the Library of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Library Association in 1995.

The Wisconsin National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of eight federally supported (NIH-NCRR) National Primate Research Centers and the only one in the Midwest. More than 250 center scientists, through competitive grants, conduct research in primate biology with relevance to human and animal health.