Hydrology.nl

We are sorry to have to inform you that Professor Mike Bonell died in Paris last week. Professor Bonell was a valued colleague at the Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science and contributed significantly to the Centre in many ways. He was instrumental in obtaining UNESCO Category II status for the Centre in 2005, and his expertise in hydrology and catchment science provided a vital contribution to the Centre’s multidisciplinary focus.

Together with Professor Sampurno Bruijnzeel (VU Amsterdam) he edited the seminal milestone publication Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics as a contribution to UNESCO’s Humid Tropics Programme. He was the chief of the section on Hydrological Processes and Climate at UNESCO from 1998 until 2006.

Professor Bonell was working actively on his project analysing rainfall in high altitudes in the Western Ghats of India until shortly before his death. In this project, as in many others during his lifetime, Professor Bonell combined scientific rigour with an enthusiasm to train a new generation of catchment scientists. Our thoughts go to Mike’s wife and family at this difficult time.