Time Line: Rabinowitz's Irresistible Force | Adventure Guide: Myanmar

Read the feature article >>

1980

Impressed with the young Ph.D. student's field research tracking raccoons and black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains, renowned zoologist George Schaller invites Alan Rabinowitz to study jaguars in Belize.

"Just like that, he changed the direction of my life," Rabinowitz says.

 
1984

Rabinowitz's research in the Cockscomb Basin persuades the Belizean government to establish the world's first and only jaguar preserve.

 
1993

Thailand's Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary is elevated to a UNESCO protected area, based on Rabinowitz's study of the region's big cats.

 
1996

Under Rabinowitz's guidance, the Myanmar government designates the country's first protected aquatic area, Lampi Island Marine National Park. It covers 79 square miles (205 square kilometers) of pristine coral reefs, mangroves, and island habitats.
 
1998

Northern Myanmar's 1,500-square-mile (3,885-square-kilometer) Hkakabo Razi, which Rabinowitz first surveyed in 1997, is designated a national park.


1999

Surveys initiated by Rabinowitz in Laos's Annam Cordillera chain lead to the region's designation as a biodiversity hotspot, cited by Conservation International for containing important species threatened with extinction.


2001

At Rabinowitz's request, the Myanmar government sets aside 2,500 square miles (6,475 square kilometers) of the Hukawng Valley as a nationally protected wildlife sanctuary, then the country's largest reserve.


2001

Rabinowitz's persistent fatigue is diagnosed as fatal chronic lymphatic leukemia.


2004

The Minister of Forestry signs a proclamation expanding the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve to cover 8,452 square miles (13,602 square kilometers), making it one of the largest protected forests in the world.


2006

Rabinowitz plans to return to Myanmar to cement the completion of the Northern
Forest Complex, a project that will link four protected areas into a 13,500-square-mile (34,965-square-kilometer) reserve. 

Time Line: Alan Rabinowitz's Irresistible Force | Adventure Guide: Myanmar

Read the feature article >>

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Discover Alan Rabinowitz's plan for the jaguars of Central America in a segment of Wild Chronicles, National Geograhic's news magazine airing on public television. Watch the video >>

[To view this video, you need the latest version of Quicktime.]

Pick up the December 2005/January 2006 issue for our annual coverage of the best of adventure, your guide to everything cool with 15 sports trends, 14 astonishing adventurers, and 45 gear picks that rock.