|
Peter Robin Bacon was born on April 17th 1938 in Reading,
England. After completing grammar school, he worked at the
Museum of Natural History, England. He attained his Bachelor of
Science (1961) and Postgraduate Certificate in Education (1962)
from the University of London.
He taught at St. Mary’s College and Trinity College, Trinidad
while he pursued his doctoral degree at UWI St. Augustine. He
produced a seminal thesis on the ecology of the Caroni Swamp and
was the campus’ first Ph.D. graduate in zoology in 1969.
Bacon lectured in zoology at UWI St. Augustine (1970-1980), the
University of Calabar, Nigeria (1981-1982) and UWI Mona
(1982-1993). He returned to UWI St. Augustine as Professor and
Head of the Department of Life Sciences in 1993. He piloted
research on the ecology of coastal wetlands and invertebrates,
coastal ecosystem management and developmental impact assessment
in tropical islands.
Bacon also supervised research on the Caroni and Nariva Swamps
in Trinidad and wetland areas in Tobago. He was instrumental in
providing improved facilities for the department’s postgraduate
students and was an architect of the Master of Science programme
“Science for the Management of Tropical Environments”.
Outside the University, he was a Regional Co-ordinator of the
Wetland Restoration Group of the International Waterfowl and
Wetlands Research Bureau and member of the UNEP/UNESCO Task Team
on Impact of Expected Climate Change on Mangroves. He was a
consultant to several international bodies including the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
In Trinidad and Tobago, he served on the Wildlife Conservation
Committee, the National Wetlands Management Committee, the
boards of the Institute of Marine Affairs and the Asa Wright
Nature Centre and was an active member of the Trinidad and
Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club.
Bacon researched the biology and conservation of leatherback
turtles in the 1970s and 1980s which resulted in the publication
of several articles. He was honoured by IOCARIBE for his
dedication and service in establishing and conducting the
Western Atlantic Turtle Symposium in Costa Rica (1983).
He authored several other scientific papers, manuals and books
including “The Natural Resources of Trinidad and Tobago” and
“Flora and Fauna of the Caribbean”. With his wife Tyra, he
co-authored nature conservation stories for children. He passed
away on February 24th 2003.
|
