Henri Blaffart
Encyclopedia
Henri Blaffart was a Belgian
conservationist
and environmentalist
.
Blaffart graduated from the Faculty of Agronomic Science of Gembloux in Belgium
in 1990 with a degree
in agronomy
, with an emphasis on forests and water
. Blaffart began working on various conservation projects throughout the world following his graduation, including Ethiopia
, Cambodia
, Samoa
and Papua New Guinea
before moving to New Caledonia
.
Blaffart began working on a Conservation International
project, the Mont Panié Special Botanical Reserve
project in New Caledonia
, in 2002. He officially joined Conservation International in 2006 as the Mont Panié project chief. Blaffart worked with the Kanak communities on the environmental management
of Mont Panié, which is located in New Caledonia's North Province
. He actively worked with a number of New Caledonian organizations to protect the Mont Panié reserve, including the government of North Province, the Dayu Biik Association, which comprises local Kanak tribes, the Caledonian Institute of Agronomy and other scientific, social and governmental organizations.
Henri Blaffart was swept away and accidentally drowned while trying to cross the Tiendanite River in North Province on 21 March 2008. He was 42 years old and was survived by his mother and sister, who both reside in Belgium.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
and environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
.
Blaffart graduated from the Faculty of Agronomic Science of Gembloux in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1990 with a degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
, with an emphasis on forests and water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. Blaffart began working on various conservation projects throughout the world following his graduation, including Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
before moving to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
.
Blaffart began working on a Conservation International
Conservation International
Conservation International is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which seeks to ensure the health of humanity by protecting Earth's ecosystems and biodiversity. CI’s work focuses on six key initiatives that affect human well-being: climate, food security, freshwater...
project, the Mont Panié Special Botanical Reserve
Mont Panié
Mont Panié is the highest peak of New Caledonia with 1,628 meters. It is situated in the range Chaîne Centrale....
project in New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, in 2002. He officially joined Conservation International in 2006 as the Mont Panié project chief. Blaffart worked with the Kanak communities on the environmental management
Environmental management
Environmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
of Mont Panié, which is located in New Caledonia's North Province
North Province, New Caledonia
The North Province is one of three administrative subdivisions in New Caledonia. It corresponds to the northern and northeastern portion of the New Caledonian mainland.The provincial government seat is at Koné....
. He actively worked with a number of New Caledonian organizations to protect the Mont Panié reserve, including the government of North Province, the Dayu Biik Association, which comprises local Kanak tribes, the Caledonian Institute of Agronomy and other scientific, social and governmental organizations.
Henri Blaffart was swept away and accidentally drowned while trying to cross the Tiendanite River in North Province on 21 March 2008. He was 42 years old and was survived by his mother and sister, who both reside in Belgium.