In 1963, the Council of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (earlier known as ATB) established the election of Honorary Fellows as "persons of long distinguished service to tropical biology." To date 79 Honorary Fellows from 17 countries have been elected by the Council. Recently elected Fellows include Paulo Oliveira (Brazil - 2012) and Richad Primack (USA - 2012), Emmanuel N. Chidumayo (Zambia - 2011), Kuswata Kartawinata (Indonesia - 2010) and Madhav Gadgil (India - 2010), July Sloan Denslow (USA - 2009) and Karl-Eduard Linsenmair (Germany - 2009),  Louise H. Emmons (USA - 2008) and Ernesto Medina (Venezuela - 2008), Arturo Gomez-Pompa (Mexico - 2007) and Ghillean T. Prance (UK - 2007), Peter Shaw Ashton (United Kingdom - 2006) and Wu Zheng-Yi (China - 2006), Paulo Nogueira-Neto (Brazil - 2005), and John W. Terborgh (USA - 2005). This is the highest award given by the Association.

Any member of ATBC wishing to submit a nomination for the Honorary Fellow Award should submit a cover letter with a short, one-two page justification of the nomination (including a curriculum vitae of the nominee) to the Chair of the Nominating Committee who is the current ATBC Past-President. Honorary Fellows are then selected by the ATBC Council at their annual meeting.

Photos : Left : Paulo Oliveira in Bonito (2012);  right: Emmanuel N. Chidumayo receiving the award from Nigel Stork, ATBC President 2011 (© tropicalbio.org);  right : July Sloan Denslow and  Karl-Eduard Linsenmair in Marburg, 2009 (© Pia Parolin).