**NEWS RELEASE**

CONTACT:

JOHN DELANEY: (1-718-220-3275; jdelaney@wcs.org)

STEPHEN SAUTNER: (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org)

NEW YORK - August 11, 2015 - The Society for Conservation Biology has honored Dr. Stacy Jupiter—Melanesia Program Director for WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)— with its Early Career Conservation Award. The award celebrates the achievements of conservationists that have been out of school for ten years or less.

Stacy Jupiter began working with WCS in Fiji in 2008 as an associate conservation scientist and then as director of the Fiji program. In 2014, she moved into a new role as Melanesia Program Director. 

Stacy’s work serves the two-fold purpose of conserving biodiversity while informing management approaches that optimize human livelihoods and well-being. For those approaches to succeed, Stacy recognizes that local knowledge and traditional practice must be considered.  By assessing the effectiveness of marine protected areas, for example, Stacy’s work informs the increase in abundance and size of fish that are important to local communities. In addition, she has laid the groundwork for integrating connectivity science into the development of protected areas. As WCS Melanesia Program Director, Stacy is now working to expand WCS’s work to Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for my work in Oceania,“ says Jupiter. “But in truth, I have mostly just been a conduit delivering information to local communities and governments faced with tough decisions about managing a myriad of threats affecting their biodiversity and livelihoods. It has been a privilege to interact with these decision-makers across the Pacific who are the true champions of biodiversity and stewards of the Earth’s resources”

Jupiter was presented the award at the 27th International Congress for Conservation Biology in Montpellier, France. In addition to being presented the award, Stacy presented a talk to attendees entitled, Can You Have Your Fish and Eat Them To?  The talk discussed the effectiveness of periodically closing fish harvest areas to achieve multiple objectives related to fisheries management, conservation, livelihoods and cultural preservation.

WCS’s Executive Vice President for Conservation and Science Dr. John Robinson said, "Stacy epitomizes how a conservationist can make a difference - she understands the social and cultural context in which she works, she has a clear idea of what conservation can achieve, and she has a plan to get there.  Stacy is a worthy recipient of this important award."

The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an international professional organization dedicated to promoting the scientific study of factors affecting the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity. The Society's membership consists of more than 5000 members worldwide.

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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission.