IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Youngbae Suh, Republic of Korea

18 April 2012 | Article

Dr. Youngbae Suh is a Professor of Plant Systematics at Seoul National University, which is the most prestigious university in Korea. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989 and worked as a research scientist at the Smithsonian Institution for three years until he joined the Faculty of Seoul National University in 1993. In addition to his academic career as a professor and scientist, he has served as a chair/member for various committees at national level in the field of environment.

His history with IUCN stretches over 20 years and started with the official recognition of the Korea National Committee in 1998. He especially came to devote himself to establishing a strong programme for IUCN since he started working for the Korea National Committee as the Secretary in 2006. This year, Korea has 31 Members, the number of which has grown from 3 when he started as the Secretary of the National Committee. Now, Korea is hosting the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju.

Currently, he is the Chair of the Asia Regional Committee as well as the President of the Korea National Committee for IUCN. His enthusiasm and contribution to IUCN, essential elements required for the Councillor position, should be taken as exceptional.