Kai Curry-Lindahl
Kai Curry-Lindahl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 May 1917 |
| Died | 5 December 1990 (aged 73) |
| Alma mater | Lund University Uppsala University (PhD h.c.) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biology Conservation biology Zoology |
| Workplaces | Skansen Stockholm University University of California, Berkeley University of Guelph IUCN UNESCO |
Kai Curry-Lindahl (10 May 1917 – 5 December 1990), was a Swedish zoologist and author.[1] Curry-Lindahl began his careeer as a publisher of scientific literature and was active in both academia and as a civil servant. He published over 600 scientific articles and more than 100 books during his lifetime.[2]
Early life
Kai Curry-Lindahl was born on 10 May 1917 in Stockholm, Sweden to the banker Curry Lindahl and Margit Lindahl (née Törnblom).[3] He studied at Lund University and Uppsala University.
Writing
In 1937, he began work as a publisher at the Stockholm-based publishing house Natur & Kultur, where he remained until 1944. Between 1943 and 1951, he also worked at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation as a publisher. From 1945 to 1953, Curry-Lindahl also served as the managing director and editor-in-chief of the magazine Sveriges Natur (Sweden's Nature), which was published as a member's magazine by the society. He was also a contributor to Svenska Dagbladet.[4]
Academic career
Curry-Lindahl was a participant in several zoological expeditions, including trips to Greenland, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Tanganyika and Uganda.[3] He also led two expeditions himself: Lund University's expedition to Belgian Congo, Rwanda and Burundi in 1951-1952 and the Swedish Congo Expedition in 1958-1959.[5]
He was the head of the Skansen's natural history department between 1953 and 1974, and also worked as a conservation expert associated with the Stockholm University between 1966 and 1969. Between 1974 and 1983 he was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1974 and 1978 at the University of Guelph, Ontario.[4] He received a honorary doctorate in Zaire in 1963[4] and at Uppsala University in 1974.[6] He was involved with Dian Fossey's work in the conservation of gorillas in Rwanda.[7]
Environmental policy and conservation
Curry-Lindahl was involved in several national and international agencies and organisations during his lifetime. From 1956 to 1969, Curry-Lindahl served as the Director of Research of the Vertebrate Ecological Survey of areas in Sweden threatened by governmental hydroelectric development.[5] He also served as a board member of the IUCN between 1956 and 1981.[3][8]
Between 1961 and 1983, Curry-Lindahl worked on various missions for the United Nations and national governments in 26 countries across six continents.[4] He was involved in several UN agencies, including FAO, UNESCO, and UNEP, which included consulting and advicing 35 African nations. Curry-Lindahl chaired multiple congresses and committees concerned with conservation, ecology and zoology, including a joint committee of the governments of the Congo (Kinshasa) Rwanda and Uganda on national parks and boundary problems in Goma, Zaire, between 1967-1968.[2]
Other positions served by Curry-Lindahl[5] include:
- Member of the Executive Board of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 1964–1971
- Vice-Chairman, International Commission on National Parks of the IUCN, 1966–1972
- Secretary of the International Council for Bird Protection (ICBP, now BirdLife International), 1958–1974
- Member of the International Ornithological Committee, 1958–his death
Personal life
Kai Curry-Lindahl married Anne van der Voordt (1925–2018) in 1947.[4] The couple had three children: Brigitte (born 1948), Edith (born 1950) and Robin (born 1951). At the time of his death, he was living in Lidingö and Nairobi, Kenya.[5][9]
Honours
Curry-Lindahl received various honours and awards, including:[5]
- Officer of the Order of Leopold, Belgium
- Officer of the Order of the Crown, Belgium
- Officer of the Order of the Golden Ark, Netherlands
- Commander of the Order of the Polar Star, Sweden (KNO)
- Silver medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science
- Grande Médaille Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire of the Société Nationale de Protection de la Nature
Books (selected)
- Animals and humans in the Swedish countryside, 1955, Stockholm
- Some animal species distribution - Animal Geography, 1957, Stockholm
- Forests and animals, 1961, Stockholm
- Europe's natural, 1971, Stockholm
- Conservation for Survival: An Ecological Strategy, New York, 1972
- Lemming - a artmonografi, 1975, Bonnier, Stockholm, ISBN 91-0-039966-3
- Birds over land and sea A global overview of bird migration, 1975, Stockholm
- Wildlife of the Prairies and Plains, 1981, New York.
- The endangered animals worldwide, 1982, Stockholm
- The Future Of The Cairngorms, 1982, North East Mountains Trust with Adam Watson & R Drennan-Watson
- Our fish, 1985, Stockholm
- Mammals, amphibians & reptiles, 1988, Stockholm
- Tropical mountains, 1953, Stockholm
- The birds of Mount Nimba, Liberia ISBN 0-565-00982-6 British Museum (Natural History) 1986 with Colston, Peter R
References
- ↑ Desmond, Kevin (2017-09-08). Planet Savers: 301 Extraordinary Environmentalists. Routledge. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-351-28030-3.
- 1 2 Swanson, Gustav (2024-09-08). "In Memoriam: Kai Curry-lindahl, 1917-1990". The Auk. 108 (4).
- 1 2 3 "263 (Vem är Vem? / Stor-Stockholm 1962)". runeberg.org (in Swedish). Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985. Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 222. ISBN 978-91-1-843222-4.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Swanson, Gustav A. (1991). "Kai Curry-Lindahl, 1917-1990". Wildlife Society Bulletin. 19 (4): 556–558. ISSN 0091-7648.
- ↑ "Matematisk-naturvetenskapliga fakultetens hedersdoktorer – Uppsala universitet". www.uu.se (in Swedish). 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- ↑ Weber, Bill; Vedder, Amy (2012-01-10). In the Kingdom of Gorillas: The Quest to Save Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas. Simon and Schuster. pp. 151–154. ISBN 978-1-4391-2853-4.
- ↑ Adam, Rachelle (2014-01-07). Elephant Treaties: The Colonial Legacy of the Biodiversity Crisis. UPNE. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-1-61168-499-5.
- ↑ "110 (Svenskt författarlexikon / 7. 1971-1975)". runeberg.org (in Swedish). Retrieved 2026-06-12.