René Daniel Haller (born December 18, 1933 in

Lenzburg Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the Lenzburg District. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighb ...

, Switzerland), is a Swiss naturalist trained in

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

, landscaping and tropical agronomy. Since the 1970s, he has been known for his commitment to environmental restoration, such as the restoration of a limestone quarry wasteland in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, into the nature park and wildlife sanctuary named

Haller Park Haller Park is a nature park in Bamburi, Mombasa, on the Kenyan coast. It is the transformation of a quarry wasteland into an ecological area. Haller Park holds a variety of plant and animal species which serve as a recreation spot for tourist ...

. Haller is a recipient of a number of awards. He was one of the first recipients of the prestigious

Global 500 Roll of Honor The Global 500 Roll of Honour was an award given from 1987 to 2003 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The award recognized the environmental achievements of individuals and organizations around the world. A successor system of UNEP ...

by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

for his 'outstanding environmental achievements. He is a Trustee of the Haller Foundation, the Director of The Baobab Trust, and interim Chair of the

Kenya Wildlife Service Kenya Wildlife Service is a state corporation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife established by an act of Parliament; Wildlife Conservation and Management Act CAP 376, of 1989, now repealed and replaced by the Wildlife Conservation and Ma ...

Board of Trustees.

Awards and honors

In 1987, Haller was awarded the prestigious

UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

by the

, for his 'outstanding environmental achievements'. In 1991 he received the Swiss Brandenberger prize, as well as an Honorary Doctor's degree from the

University of Basle The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universitie ...

. In April 2003, he was appointed to the board of the Kenyan Wildlife Service.

References

Haller Foundation WebsiteBaobab Trust Website
* Book (From Wasteland to Paradise by Dr. Rene Haller and Sabine Baer)

External links

Trust Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haller, Rene 1933 births Living people Swiss agronomists Swiss naturalists People from Lenzburg District