WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Turkish ornithologist and conservation ecologist was included in the list of "emerging explorers" of 2011 by National Geographic magazine.

Ornithologist Cagan Hakki Sekercioglu, assistant professor at the University of Utah Department of Biology, was included among 14 newest explorers of 2011 by NG.

NG said, "by the end of this century, 25 percent of all bird species may be extinct. 'That is 2,500 unique species,' Sekercioglu warns. Many pressures that will ultimately affect other animals, and even people, are happening to birds first. They are, quite literally, the canaries in the coal mine."

The magazine said, "Sekercioglu not only documents the trend, but also works to reverse it by integrating his work as a highly cited scientist, director of an award-winning grassroots conservation organization, and accomplished wildlife photographer."

It said, "he charts and analyzes the causes and consequences of vanishing bird populations via projects in biodiversity hot spots such as Costa Rica, Turkey, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Tanzania."

"Sekercioglu's rare ability to combine world-class science with local conservation efforts gives communities new reasons to protect threatened bird habitats," NG said.

AA