Professor Tim Flannery has become the first Australian to be awarded the Academy of Natural Sciences' Joseph Leidy Award. Established in 1923, the award recognises excellence in publications, explorations, discoveries or research in the natural sciences. Previous recipients include ornithologist James Bond (1975), biologist Dr. Edward O. Wilson (1979), and evolutionary biologists Drs Peter and Rosemary Grant (1995).

Tim, a world-renowned scientist and 2007 Australian of the Year, has discovered more than 30 new species and published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers. His books include the phenomenally successful The Weather Makers, which changed the world debate on climate change, and Here on Earth, which was released this month.

Academy President and CEO George Gephart said Tim ‘has a rare gift for communicating complex environmental issues in a way that makes them immediately understandable and compelling for the general public. His broad vision of evolution and its relevance to today’s world has made him one of this generation’s most influential thinkers, writers and speakers on environmental topics ranging from wildlife conservation to climate change.’

In Here On Earth, Tim argues for a hopeful future, one in which we are equipped as never before to explore our true relationship with the planet on which our biological, economic and cultural futures depend.

Congratulations Tim.