At the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, Dr Simon Stuart has been awarded the Harold Jefferson Coolidge Memorial Medal for outstanding contributions to the conservation of nature and natural resources.
Simon is a longtime friend of Synchronicity Earth, initially joining the organisation as our Director of Strategic Conservation in January 2017 and developing our current suite of conservation programmes, then becoming our Chief Scientific Adviser in December 2020. We are now delighted to announce that he will be joining our Board of Trustees.
Over more than three decades, Simon has become one of the leading architects of modern species-based conservation. His influence through the IUCN has been profound – not merely in directing technical programmes but in shaping how the world thinks about extinction risk, conservation priorities, and the intersection of science and policy.
From the outset of his career, Simon was drawn to empirical fieldwork. His doctoral and early postdoctoral studies in Tanzania and Cameroon informed his understanding of how habitat change affects species. In the early 1980s he began working on the African Bird Red Data Book, a formative project for what would become a much larger role in species assessments.
Driving scientific standards in wildlife conservation
He formally joined the IUCN Secretariat in 1986, and was Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) from 2008-2016. During that time, he developed and refined the quantitative criteria and categorical framework that underpin the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species alongside his colleagues.
The Red List has become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus, and plant species, and has revealed vulnerabilities and overlooked areas in conservation which have since shaped several of Synchronicity Earth’s programmes.
A particularly influential initiative under Simon’s guidance was the establishment of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) – sites that make a critical contribution to global biodiversity persistence. The KBA framework offers a systematic way for governments, NGOs, and communities to prioritise places for protection, restoration or monitoring.
After spending most of his career at the IUCN, Simon has been recognised for his outstanding contributions to conservation. Image © Geanie Cresswell/Synchronicity Earth
At the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025, Simon was awarded the Harold Jefferson Coolidge Memorial Medal on behalf of the Union’s worldwide constituency of more than 1,400 Members to recognise his outstanding contributions to the conservation of nature and natural resources.
“I’m deeply grateful to receive this award, which really belongs to all the brilliant people I’ve worked alongside,” says Simon.
“Conservation is a collaborative effort, and the true heroes are usually unseen, so I’m proud to accept it on their behalf. I’ve always tried to support and empower the people I’ve met, and one of the joys of my work has been watching them run with it. Seeing people I knew early in their careers now leading change around the world is the greatest reward of all.”
Dr Simon Stuart
Simon speaking alongside Sally Wren (centre) and Gina Della Togna (left) on a panel about bridging the gap between science and action in amphibian conservation at the 2025 World Conservation Congress. Image © Geanie Cresswell/Synchronicity Earth
Longtime friend of Synchronicity Earth
After leaving his full-time role at IUCN, Simon became Director of Strategic Conservation at Synchronicity Earth in January 2017 and helped shape our conservation programmes to focus on overlooked and underfunded species and ecosystems. His work on species assessments and key biodiversity areas particularly highlighted the need for catalytic action on freshwater ecosystems, amphibian species, and regional conservation in Southeast Asia, which became our Freshwater, Amphibian, and Asian Species programmes.
In December 2020, Simon became our Chief Scientific Adviser as he moved to a new role as Executive Director of A Rocha International. Now we are delighted to announce that he will be joining our Board of Trustees, bringing his wealth of expertise in conservation to our governance.
“If we ever need an independent and deeply insightful perspective on a conservation issue, Simon is the person we turn to,” says Catherine Bryan, Co-Chair of Trustees at Synchronicity Earth. “He draws on years of experience at the heart of the conservation world and always works with such generosity and care.”
“Simon is a profoundly well-respected member of the global conservation and scientific community, and a living encyclopaedia on species and how to protect them. For Simon, there are no problems only solutions. He has been an instrumental member of our team as well as a trusted advisor and mentor to us all. We are delighted to welcome Simon to the Board of Trustees.”
Adam Sweidan, our Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Trustees
“I am thrilled to be joining the Board at Synchronicity Earth,” Simon adds. “I have believed in the mission of this organisation since its inception and love the team and the leadership. I am looking forward to this new stage in my long-term support for the work the organisation and its partners do.”
To learn more about the highlights and achievements of Simon’s career, please read the profile we published to celebrate his winning of the Blue Planet Prize in 2020.
