Esri Conservation Program Director Wins Landscape Practitioner Award

Charles Convis, director of the Esri Conservation Program (ECP), received the Distinguished Landscape Practitioner Award from the Society for Landscape Ecologists. Convis was recognized for nearly three decades of mentoring ecologists to use geographic information system (GIS) technology for species and ecosystem conservation. As a computer-savvy ecologist in the mid-1980s, Convis supported many conservation projects in Africa and southeast Asia. During that time, he noticed that the common need of field biologists in those regions was good maps. After pitching the concept of a GIS conservation support group to Esri president Jack Dangermond in 1989, Convis joined Esri and immediately established the ECP. Since then, the ECP has provided products, training, and mentorship around the globe. The Society for Landscape Ecologists recognized Convis for his emphasis on community building and cultivating human conservation networks. www.esri.com