Professor Charles Sheppard, OBE
Last week we heard the terrible news that our friend and the ‘father’ of marine science in Chagos had passed away. Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Anne and his children during this incredibly sad and difficult time.
For many of us across the programme who’ve been privileged to work in Chagos, we were introduced to this incredible part of the world through Charles – either from reading his research papers, hearing him present at conferences, or being lucky to spend time together in the field. I remember vividly as I came up from my first dive in Chagos in 2012 with the biggest grin and over-excited gushing and Charles saying it was one of his greatest pleasures to hear scientists squeal like children when they first experienced the wonders of the Chagos archipelago!
Expeditions with Charles and Anne were always educational and entertaining due to their incredible experience and long history of working in Chagos. Charles was an absolute font of knowledge, especially when it came to his beloved corals. Sometimes his local knowledge made it hard for the rest of us – trying to find his temperature loggers that he had deployed ‘off the coconut tree and next to the coral bommie’! He was not only a highly respected scientist, but also a passionate conservationist who championed marine protection, doing the right thing, and cutting through with scientific honesty whenever things got bureaucratic. That became increasingly important as he saw the devastating changes happening to reefs worldwide and the urgency to use science to inform local and global action. He recently published his book on his life’s work which we can all look forward to reading; The Chagos Archipelago: A Biological Biography.
Charles received many eminent awards, notably being awarded an OBE from the Queen in 2014. He was also a ZSL Conservation Fellow and awarded the ZSL Award for Outstanding Contributions to Conservation in 2016.
Many of us can credit our scientific and conservation pathways from the guidance, mentorship and opportunities provided by Charles. He will be sorely missed.
