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Úvodné slovo k odhaleniu pamätnej tabule F. J. Turčekovi predniesol riaditeľ Ústavu ekológie lesa SAV vo Zvolene, Ing. Váľka (vpravo, ďalej prof. Marhold, podpredseda SAV, prof. Kropil, prezident rektorskej konferencie Slovenska, rodina F. J. Turčeka, druhý zľava autor diela Z. Nišponský a autor myšlienky Dr. Kaňuch).

First Slovak ecologist has own memorial plaque

21. 12. 2015 | 1999 visits
The international conference FJT100 (www.fjt100.sk) was held in Zvolen last week on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of František Jozef Turček, the first Slovak ecologist. The event was a joint follow-up to traditional conferences such as the ornithological conference Applied Ornithology, in its 27th year, and the international conference Research and Protection of Mammals in Slovakia, now in its 12th year. The conference had a strong ecological undertone.

The Technical University in Zvolen (TUZVO), the Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Poľana Protected Landscape Area (PLA) Administration, the Department of Biology and Ecology from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica and the Slovak Ornithological Society / BirdLife Slovakia were among the main organisers of the conference.

One hundred and sixty ecologists, zoologists and nature conservation scientists and workers attended the event. During the introductory section of the conference, participants could listen to nine presentations on the life and work of František Jozef Turček. Further speeches and presentations were divided into four main sections: Autecology, Communities and monitoring, Evolutionary and behavioral ecology and Environment, ecological guilds and protection. During a simple ceremony, as part of the event, a memorial plaque to František Jozef Turček was unveiled in the entrance hall of the SAS Institute of Forest Ecology. It was the work of Zbigniew Nišponský, well known for his reputation as the oldest active Slovak speleologist.

Dr. Turček was born in Bádice on 3 December 1915, coming from a family of educators. His inclination to explore the beauties of nature was stronger than a vision of becoming a teacher. First, he was employed at the Forestry Administration as a forestry intern. His publications were remarkable and in 1946 he started working at the then Forestry Research Institute in Banská Štiavnica. From 1964 he worked at the Institute of Landscape Ecology of SAS in Banská Štiavnica until his early death. He managed to learn several foreign languages and he was able to acquire the basics of mathematical statistics and introduce them into quantitative zoology and ecology. He was a highly distinguished scientist of world importance and acknowledged as the pioneer of Slovak ecology. František Jozef Turček died at the age of 61 at his workplace, SAS in Banská Štiavnica, on 4 March 1977.