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Vietnam was decimated from the effects of the war this century.
Fully 20% of its forests were destroyed by bombs, herbicides,
bulldozers, and napalm (a substance used in bombs to spread fire).
Vo Quy did not fight in this war, but he has been fighting another
war all his life. He has been a leader in his country for restoration
of the natural resources which were lost. He is a constant
inspiration to his countrymen in their crusade. |
| As a child Vo Quy spent much time in the forests of his community.
Here he learned how to identify untold species. Some had edible fruits,
some provided food for birds, some had special flowers. He learned
which plants could be used to cure illnesses and treat wounds. Thus,
he acquired his major lessons in botany at an early age. |
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During his visits to the forest, he also studied the birds.
By the age of twelve he knew most of the species which lived near his village.
As he grew older, he hid and studied the birds unobtrusively, developing
a deep admiration for them. This was the beginning of his education
in ornithology. |
At the age of nineteen, Quy became a teacher in his village, instructing
the locals how to read and write. He was the first teacher in the
village’s first school. When the Vietnam war began, Quy left to study
in China and earned a degree in biology there. Afterwards he returned
to his village and taught science. In the 1950s he moved to Hanoi
with his wife and helped found the University of Hanoi. He taught
in its zoology department while his wife taught languages. In the
1960s Quy earned a doctorate degree in ornithology at Moscow University
in Russia.
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During the Vietnam War Vo Quy saw firsthand the
destruction of a large portion of his country’s environment.
In the 1970s Quy and some other scientists visited many sections
of the country, noting the devastation. In 1985 Quy founded
the Center for Natural Resource Management and Environmental Studies.
Here he and his fellow scientists created a master plan for
the restoration of their country. They estimated that more
than five million acres of land had been destroyed. Then they led the way
toward making the plans a reality. |
The center trained many conservationists in the repairs which were
necessary. The program was funded by the government, and there
was a massive effort to promote planting of trees to
replace those destroyed by the herbicides from the war. Quy also
offered graduate-level courses at the center to train people how to manage
environmentally-protected areas.
He also worked on a national committee to study the long-term
effects of herbicides on the environment and on
the resources needed by the people of the country. He has
authored several books during his lifetime. He has
also led the effort to develop the country’s system of national
parks and nature reserves. He is active in helping locals learn how
to develop and manage their own land, a process that is necessary
if we are to truly make pro-
gress in the field of environmentalism. (See Cultural
Perspectives.)
Vo Quy is just another example of someone who merged talents and
interests to achieve a goal. . It was his combination of talents
and interests that brought him such success. See Interdisciplinary
Approach.