Aila Inkeri Keto AO (born 14 March 1943) is founder and President of the Rainforest Conservation Society in

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, now known as the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society. In 2005, Keto was a recipient of the

Queensland Greats Awards The Queensland Greats Awards recognise outstanding Queenslanders for their years of dedication and contribution to the development of the state and their role in strengthening and shaping the community in Queensland, Australia. The awards are pr ...

. Born in

Tully, Queensland Tully is a town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is adjacent to the Bruce Highway, approximately south of Cairns by road and north of Townsville. At the , the population was 2,390. Tully is perhaps best kno ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, to parents of Finnish origin, Dr Keto originally studied

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and worked at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

. In 1992 Keto received the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Fred M. Packard Award The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, WCPA Fred M. Packard Award is an international merit award which is made by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to individuals or groups in recognition of "outstanding service to protected ...

in recognition of "outstanding service to protected and conserved areas" and in 1994 she was awarded an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for “service to conservation, particularly through promoting the protection and management of the wet tropical rainforests of Queensland”. She was nominated as

Queenslander of the Year Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland. History Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation of Queensland from the Colony of New South Wa ...

in 2000 and in 2001 she was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

, "for service as an expert on wet tropics and as a leading conservationist and academic". In 2005 Dr Keto was awarded the

Volvo Environment Prize The Volvo Environment Prize is an annual international award originating in Sweden. The prize is awarded to individuals who "''explore the way to a sustainable world''." The prize is awarded by the independent foundation ''The Volvo Environment Pr ...

for her work which, led to the protection of more than 15,000 km² of Queensland's rainforest. This is only one of a series of awards that have been given to her for her environmental and conservation work which has resulted in three successful nominations for world heritage status:

Wet Tropics The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all f ...

Fraser Island Fraser Island (Butchulla: ) is a World Heritage-listed island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The island is approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is within the Fraser ...

and the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia (now

Gondwana Rainforests of Australia The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world. Collectively, the rainforests are a World Heritage Site with fifty separate res ...

References

External links

Fourteenth Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture by Aila Keto
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keto, Aila 1943 births Living people Australian environmentalists Australian women environmentalists Officers of the Order of Australia Queensland Greats Australian people of Finnish descent People from Tully, Queensland