PROF RAYMOND JANSEN

Ray Jansen, as the Founder and past Chairman of the APWG is the first person to be granted Honorary Life Membership of the APWG in recognition of his dedication to the mission of pangolin conservation since 2009 and his tireless service to the APWG since its inception in 2011.

Ray is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Pangolin Specialist Group. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the Tshwane University of Technology. He holds a PhD in Zoology from the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology based at the University of Cape Town.

Ray is a world authority on African pangolins and his contribution to the scientific publications that are associated with the APWG, during his tenure as Chairman, is immense.  His expertise includes pangolin crime intelligence and interfacing with agents of poaching; and his evidence in aggravation of sentencing in pangolin poaching cases has resulted in significant precedent sentences, in South Africa. Ray continues to present his specialisations at APWG law enforcement workshops, where he is a valuable asset to the APWG and a highly skilled participant.