African Wildlife & Environment Issue 77 FINAL ISSUE

IN MEMORIAM

where I was very pleased to count some 50 species, but Keith came in with a broad grin, because he had just seen a Narina Trogon, that took his bird list to 60+. I soon learned that not all the birds on his list had been eye-balled; many were identified by their calls! This discovery lead to some quiet banter, with me saying that I too could claim trees that I had not specifically seen that day because on previous visits I had recorded them in the area. Clearly Keith had an exceptional field observation ability (and as far as birds were concerned, he was as good as some of my other colleagues and friends like Carl Vernon, Walter Lawson and Richard Dean). Back then Keith knew all his birds but not his trees,

Participants of the first national fieldwork training course - Giants Castle 1967

council effectively fighting these threats culminated in the 'sacking' of the council at a National AGM in the Blue Waters Hotel in Durban. This resulted in head office being re-located to Pinetown with Keith the first Director; and Creina Bond the editor of African Wildlife magazine, which changed to an A4 format, and was eventually printed in full colour. Being the director of the Society did not quite fit with Keith’s passion for conservation, his people and field skills.Thus, John Fowkes was soon appointed co- director, with Keith eventually moving sideways to be Director Conservation – a position he held until he retired. Post-retirement, Keith simply seamlessly continued with his conservation work, that was his life’s calling, still assisted by Di Dold. Keith’s latest on-going project was his dream to link Afromontane forested areas in the Karkloof - where generous financial support from the Nicholson Trust enabled him to grow that vision. Keith’s had a number of 'tree' achievements. By no means the least of these was a massive three to four- year survey of all forest patches of two ha or more in size in South Africa. This survey, where he listed all woody species and birds in every forest patch, was part of a National Forest Inventory (most large forest areas had previously been surveyed: by McKenzie [all Cape forests west of Knysna], by Geldenhuys [PhD on Knysna Forests], and others). All of Keith’s remarkably valuable data are housed securely with Prof Timm Hoffman in the Plant Conservation Unit at UCT and are freely accessible to anyone who would like to use these data. Other achievements were contributing to more than 50 Fieldwork Reports - many of which were the catalysts to the proclamation of areas as small reserves of one form or another, some examples being the Liff Bush and Hawaan.

Keith Cooper was passionate about encouraging young conservationists, especially from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. In the photograph he

so we started teaching each other - and he was an amazingly quick and excellent learner - with an ultimate field tree ID ability better than mine; while my bird ID skills certainly improved, they were never a patch on his! The late 1960s and early 1970s were turbulent times in the Society with the head office in Johannesburg and a council of what we considered to be 'arm-chair elders'. This was the time when the Fieldwork Section of the Society was born, attracting many passionate citizen scientists with Kosta Babich in Johannesburg and an even bigger following in Natal. It was also a time when there were many pressing conservation challenges in South Africa – such as Coastal Dune Sand-mining close to St Lucia, the projected deproclamation of Mkuze Game Reserve, a proposal to mine anthracite in northern Kruger Park, and the implementation of Odendaal Commission’s Report in what was then South West Africa (Namibia) that excised the land linking Etosha to the Koakoveld and the coast. Our lack of faith in acknowledges project work by young isiZulu speaking learners. Photograph: Lynn Hurry

14 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 77 (2020)