Short Biography
The Belgian biologist Olivier Sylvain Gérard Pauwels was born in Asse, Vlaams Brabant province, Belgium, on Sept. 1st , 1971. During his childhood in Groot-Bijgaarden near Brussels he developed a passion for zoology, with a special interest in indigenous and exotic reptiles and amphibians. During high-school years, Olivier S.G. Pauwels spent much of his holidays at the Royal Museum for Central Africa ( Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika , Tervuren), where the Belgian herpetologist Danny Meirte taught him the methods of morphology and systematic herpetology. This led him to study sciences and taxonomy and to get his postgraduate degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels). Olivier S.G. Pauwels is working as a biologist in the oil industry, coordinating environmental and social impacts assessment studies and mitigation measures, and integrating natural resources conservation principles into field operations. Although herpetology is not part of his current professional activities, his passion for this discipline is still strong and he keeps it as one of his main free time hobbies.
Miscellaneous photographs from the Web
Class photo., College Saint-Pierre, Jette, 1989 (O.S.G. Pauwels on back row, 6th from left)
Field photo., Loango National Park, Gabon, 2002 (O.S.G. Pauwels on middle photo page 3)
