Võ Quý (December 31, 1929 – January 10, 2017) was a Vietnamese zoologist and professor at the

Vietnam National University, Hanoi Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU; vi, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội, ĐHQGHN) is a public research university in Vietnam. The university has 10 member colleges (called "universities") and faculties. VNU is one of two Vietnam's nationa ...

. He was an

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 ...

and a recipient of the 2003

Blue Planet Prize The recognises outstanding efforts in scientific research or applications of science that contribute to solving global environmental problems. The prize was created by the Asahi Glass Foundation in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit, and ...

. During the war against the French, he studied in China, but in 1954 he returned to Vietnam and helped to found the University of Hanoi. He researched the effects of

defoliation A defoliant is any herbicidal chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause their leaves to fall off. Defoliants are widely used for the selective removal of weeds in managing croplands and lawns. Worldwide use of defoliants, along with the ...

by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, and the impact of the herbicides, including

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the United States Armed Forces, U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam ...

used on the environment. He helped to plan government

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands ( forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debat ...

programmes. Dr. Quy relocated the rare eastern sarus crane, a species badly affected by the war, and helped to establish a treaty for the protection of

migratory birds Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting ...

. He suggested that the

Vietnamese pheasant The Vietnamese pheasant, or Vietnam fireback, was formerly considered a species of gallopheasant, ''Lophura hatinhensis'', but is now considered a variant of Edward's pheasant. Discovered in 1964, it is endemic to central Vietnam. Its range con ...

(''Lophura hatinhensis'') might be a different species from Edward's pheasant (''Lophura edwardsi'') although most ornithologists do not split these two forms. He wrote the two-volume book, ''The Birds of Vietnam'', and co-authored ''The Kouprey: An Action Plan for Its Conservation'' . He died in Hanoi on January 10, 2017, at the age of 87.

References

External links

Biography at terradaily.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vo, Quy 1929 births 2017 deaths Vietnamese ornithologists 20th-century zoologists 21st-century zoologists