Keith Henry Cooper (16.03.1937 – 20.06.2020)
It has been said, “an iconic tree has fallen” when referring to the passing of Keith Cooper, who was a conservation giant and one of South Africa’s most esteemed conservationists until the end.
Keith Henry Cooper was born in Pietermaritzburg on 16 March 1937 and was schooled here as well. This is where his love for nature and wildlife commenced. It was here too, at the bottom of his parents’ farm, that he met Ian Player when he was just a boy. He helped Ian load his canoe before his first journey down the Mzunduzi River.
Keith’s first job was at Standard Bank and while working for the branch in Mtubatuba, during the height of the battles to save the game reserves in Zululand, that he became involved in wildlife conservation and realised he wanted to make it his career.
Keith joined the Oceanographic Research Institute in 1961 then, in 1972, he joined the Wildlife Society and served as Director of Conservation for 30 years.
“Keith’s contribution to WESSA during this period was outstanding, where he was instrumental in the establishment of numerous conservancies, nature reserves and protected areas,” said WESSA’s board chairman, Ossie Carstens.
His contribution to conservation and the environment cannot be measured as he accomplished so much for conservation in South Africa. Keith made a difference in the lives of many people through his passion for the environment and love for all flora and fauna. His work was always ahead of its time. He published many papers and was the co-author and editor of many books too. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2003, in recognition of his valuable scientific and conservation research work in preserving South Africa’s biodiversity.
Keith led the way in establishing the Wildlife Society’s African Conservation Education (ACE) programme.
Lynn Hurry said when this “programme was up and running Keith supported the government to take over the logistic costs. ACE then became a government/civil society partnership with WESSA. In this regard it probably became one of the first conservation civil society partnerships for conservation education. In a ten-year period virtually every traditional leader in KwaZulu-Natal, including most senior Izinduna, attended a five-day conservation and ecology training course. It is worth recording that Twinstreams became, with Keith’s support, the first Environmental Education Centre established in Africa!”
Even after Keith’s retirement, he continued to be active in his conservation work and worked as a partner of WESSA. In 2016, he was awarded a special 90th Anniversary Gold Medal Award by WESSA in recognition of his lifetime conservation work.
A close work colleague said, “Keith was a very special person in all aspects of his life and his passion for whatever he did was unbounded. He loved his family and was proud of what each of his children had achieved. He loved his work and made a tremendous contribution in this regard. He had a strong spiritual belief which he gained so much comfort from. He was a special person and I feel tremendously privileged to have worked with him and been a friend for 45 years.”
It would be impossible to list all of Keith’s achievements and the huge contribution he has made to conservation in South Africa.
He truly was a remarkable man and his legacy will surely live on, as he not only did so much for conservation in South Africa over his lifetime, but he influenced so many ‘ordinary’ people to either pursue conservation focussed careers or just to take a keen interest in our environment and the conservation of it.
He was a keen listener and was able to encourage and relate to people in a way that they could understand. This made him unique and inspirational, as per many reflections and messages from so many different people world-wide. He truly was a legend in his time, which not many people can claim.
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