Anita Studer (born February 26, 1944) is a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
-born accountant,
ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
, conservationist and ecologist.
Ever since 1980, Anita has been actively engaged in saving a forest in northeastern Brazil. She was born in
Brienz
Brienz ( , , ) is a village and municipality on the northern shore of Lake Brienz, at the foot of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain, and in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. Besides the village of Brienz, the municipality includes the sett ...
; at the age of 12, she moved with her family to
Geneva. She first visited
Brazil in 1976 to observe its rich variety of birds. On her return, she pursued a master's degree in ornithology at
Nancy-Université.
Five years later, in Brazil, she first saw a rare blackbird
Forbes's blackbird (''Curaeus forbesi''), known locally as "anumará", in the Pedra Talhada forest in the state of
Alagoas. Her academic supervisor told her that the bird was a good subject for study but that the forest, the bird's habitat, would be gone in nine to ten years. The forest was being cleared to allow the raising of cattle and planting of
sugar cane. Instead of studying the bird, Studer decided to save the forest.
Life
Her lobbying efforts resulted in 4,500 hectares of the Pedra Talhada forest being declared a
federal reserve. Studer initiated the planting of new trees - over 800 hectares; to ensure biodiversity, the trees planted include a number of
indigenous species. She also involved local children in these projects. For raising funds, Studer established the Nordesta Association in Switzerland which also has provided funding for new schools in the local villages. She also helped develop businesses to improve the local economy. Studer herself makes a living by working as an accountant in Geneva.
Her initiatives in Brazil were the subject of a 1996 documentary "Mother Forest and the Street Children", written and produced by David Martinez of Dreamtime Productions and seen on the Discovery Channel.
Studer received a
Rolex Award for Enterprise
Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...
in 1990 for her environmental work.
A species of
frog, ''
Dendropsophus studerae
''Dendropsophus studerae'' is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae.
It is endemic to Quebrangulo, in the State of Alagoas, Brazil. Its specific name honours Anita Studer, a Swiss ornithologist who has been active in trying to save the r ...
'', was named in her honour,
as well as the
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.[Astrothelium studerae
''Astrothelium studerae'' is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Eugenia da Silva Cácer ...]
''.
Scientific and environmental activities
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studer, Anita
1957 births
Living people
People from Brienz
Swiss environmentalists
Swiss women environmentalists
Swiss ornithologists
21st-century women scientists