George Bernard Rabb
23 March 1930 – 27 July 2017
On 27th July 2017 we said farewell to a very good friend. Many of you may not have known George, some may not know of him, but the amphibian conservation movement might never have begun had it not been for George.
He was a dedicated amphibian biologist and in the late 1980’s recognized that amphibian populations around the world were declining. As Chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC), he formed the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force. This in turn led to the Global Amphibian Assessment, the Amphibian Conservation Summit, the formation of AArk and the SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), the production of the first Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP) and more recently the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA).
George remained involved in the Amphibian Ark from its beginning, was one of our major supporters, and was a regular on our monthly Amphibian Ark conference calls.
George was a shy man, and only spoke up when his passion for conservation over-rode his shyness. He was one of those rare people whose focus was never on himself, but on what needed to be done to conserve the earth’s species and habitats. Those who knew George knew that behind what sometimes seemed to be a gruff exterior there was a kind, generous, and caring man with a heart of gold. He was a true gentleman and we will miss him greatly.
