Dr Kabelo J Senyatso was presented with the 2012 Taylor & Francis Commonwealth Scholar Best Journal Article Prize at a ceremony at the University of Botswana on 27 June 2013.
Around 50 guests were present at the event, including Ben Luckock (British Deputy High Commissioner), Nobantu Kalake (British Council Country Director, who presented Kabelo with his prize), and representatives from the University of Botswana, BirdLife Botswana, and Taylor & Francis.
Dr Kabelo Senyatso receiving his prize from Nobantu Kalake, British Council Country Director
Professor Tim Unwin, Chair of the CSC, said:
‘I am delighted to acknowledge the importance of Dr Kabelo Senyatso’s research, recognised in the award of this generous prize by Taylor & Francis for the best journal article by a Commonwealth Scholar. Kabelo is a recent Commonwealth Scholar who did his PhD in Conservation Ecology at the University of East Anglia, and has since returned to Botswana where he is Director of BirdLife Botswana. This typifies what Commonwealth Scholarships are all about: giving able people from Commonwealth countries the opportunity to undertake high quality research in the UK that will enable them to return to their home countries and apply the knowledge and skills that they have gained. I am very sorry not to be able to join this important ceremony at the University of Botswana, where Kabelo studied as an undergraduate. I recall a most enjoyable visit to the university last year, and was struck by the commitment and energy of staff and students alike there. The CSC is also extremely grateful to Taylor & Francis, one of the world’s leading journal publishers, for their support for this initiative which really does highlight the academic achievements of the outstanding Scholars who gain our awards. Many congratulations Kabelo!’
Janet Remmington, Taylor & Francis’ Regional Director for Africa, said:
‘We are delighted that Kabelo’s article on bird conservation monitoring methodology in Africa was selected by the judging panel as the inaugural prize winner. Congratulations to Kabelo for a lucidly written article arising from careful data gathering and analysis, which has wide application and appeal. His work on the Kori Bustard makes a notable contribution to ornithological knowledge and conservation efforts. Fittingly, he selected Ostrich, journal of BirdLife South Africa (which Taylor & Francis co-publishes with NISC), as the journal subscription component of the prize. Taylor & Francis looks forward to ongoing support of the Best Journal Article Prize and to recognising the valuable work of early-career Commonwealth Scholars.’
Kabelo was awarded the inaugural Best Journal Article Prize for his article ‘Assessing range-wide conservation status change in an unmonitored widespread African bird species’, published in Diversity and Distributions – A Journal of Conservation Biogeography (Volume 19, Issue 2, 2013). The prize comprises £1,500 and a year’s personal subscription to a journal of his choice.
