Organisations love awards, don’t they? It doesn’t seem to matter whether the award is the result of a scrupulous assessment by the leading lights in the field and recognised by experts and laypeople the world over, or whether it simply reflects the fact that you filled in an application form. Either way – as any marketeer will tell you – awards are great for raising brand profile, demonstrating industry knowledge, etc etc etc.
So, in a spirit of acknowledgement for organisations whose impact on Biodiversity might otherwise go unnoticed by the general population, I propose the ‘Golden Dodo’ Award Scheme.
This prestigious accolade will be conferred upon organisations or individuals who by actions, inaction, or corruption of purpose, are contributing most to the extinction of a species.
To get the ball rolling, I nominate ICCAT – the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. ICCAT was formed in 1969. Since that time, the estimated number of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna has plummented by 85%, and the species is forecast to be extinct within 2 years if we carry on fishing it at the same rate.
If ICCAT’s aim is, as stated in their name, to conserve Tuna – that’s a failure rate of 85%. Quite an achievement. No wonder, then, that ICCAT is often said to stand for International Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna. Thinking laterally – if they formally changed their name to that, they could then claim a success rate of 85%, and would no longer have to pretend to be abiding by the science. In any case, I think they deserve some recognition!
(As I write this, ICCAT are meeting again, presumably to agree on further ways to ignore scientific advice and appease industry lobbyists. If they surprise everyone and do the right thing, I will gladly retract my nomination)
Please submit your nominations below 
December 13th, 2010
4:33 pm
Brilliant idea!
How about nominating Ken Salazar, US Interior Secretary, who has just decided to ‘de-list’ wolves and grizzly bears in the Western States. An open invitation to the gun-happy of America to bag themselves either a wolf or a grizzly.
July 11th, 2011
4:29 pm
Great idea
I’ll second your nomination for ICCAT
July 11th, 2011
4:33 pm
I’ve just had this nomination from an associate:
Sinar Mas, palm Oil Producers, proclaim that they produce palm oil sustainably, yet they are responsible for logging and clearing of forest land that is reducing organutan habitat at a rate that is unsustainable. The orangutan is threatened, and companies like Sinar Mas appear to be contributing to their eventual, almost inevitable, extinction in the wild.