Ramakrishna Venkatasamy:
Dr Ramakrishna Venkatasamy's professional life started as a trainee forester in the Forestry Service, Mauritius, with two years training in Mauritius, then another two at the Dean Forester Training School (UK), which also included stages in the mountains of North Wales, and Pitlochry, the heart of the Scottish Highlands — Haggis and the Scottish Highland Games being part of the experience. Back to Mauritius in 1968, and after 3 years on a re-afforestation project, Ven was attached to the newly created Wild Life Services — at which time a project to save the endemic Mauritian Kestrel and Pink Pigeon was underway. He worked with Dr. Carl Jones, now the renowned professor Carl Jones, and also had the opportunity of meeting and discussing issues with the late Gerald Durrell, of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey Zoo. By 1975, the island became too small for his plans, so he returned to the UK for further studies in 1976.
He took on the challenge of working and studying at the same time — and also getting married. The first lap was 3 years at University of Buckinghamshire for a degree in Wood Science (1981), and then a Master’s degree in Biodeterioration at Portsmouth University (1982). The next 3 years were spent on a grant investigating the degree of microbial deterioration of archaeological wood from the wreck of the Mary Rose — and suggesting methods of chemical preservation. The Mary Rose, a Tudor warship of the fleet of King Henry VIII of England, sank off Portsmouth harbour in 1545. Efforts were underway by archaeologists to raise it, and it is now in its own Museum at Portsmouth (UK).
Encouraged by the late mycologist, Dr Steve Moss, and Professor E.B. Gareth Jones, Head of Research at Portsmouth, Ven stayed on for a doctoratal program in environmental microbiology, and obtained his PhD in 1988. After Post Doctoral work/lecturing at Portsmouth, there came a request from a new State university in Kenya for a wood scientist to invigorate a Wood Science department in the Faculty of Forestry. Encouraged by his peers and seniors, Ven left for Kenya in 1990.
Building up a proper Department of Woodscience proved to be a long and winding effort. But it was also an opportunity to dissect the wood preservation industry in Kenya — specifically the environmental issues — to engage in research, publish a number of papers, and attend a number of international conferences. The investigations in Kenya probably also contributed to the removal of copper-chrome-arsenate (CCA) wood preservatives from the market.
He returned to Mauritius in 2009. After a period of rest, re-orientation and re-adaptation, he started his own Consultancy in Environmental Management. He also lectured at the local Universities for a few years, then decided to hang up the gloves. More free time gave him the opportunity to focus on deficiencies in international environmental law, especially in the field of unrestrained pollution and environmental degradation. This has resulted in two books so far, several articles, and others on the drawing board. Writing, publishing, editing, and reviewing other people’s work keeps him busy.
His writings include: