Milan Ružička (1929-2024)
Prof. Milan Ružička passed away
On October 7, 2024, we received sad news - Prof. Milan Ružička died at the age of 95. The beginnings of his scientific work are closely connected with the establishment and the first years of the existence of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS). He took part in the creation of several biological institutes of SAS. Prof. Ružička is the founder of landscape ecology in Slovakia and a person who significantly contributed to the development of landscape ecology as a science on a global scale. In 1965, he founded the Institute of Landscape Biology of the SAS, of which he became the director. It was one of the first interdisciplinary workplaces focused on environmental issues in the former Czechoslovakia and one of the first workplaces studying the biology and ecology of the landscape worldwide. Its establishment was a pioneering act at a time when landscape ecology did not yet exist as a scientific field. During his decades of work, he built a Slovak school of landscape ecology, which he made visible on a global scale through rich international collaboration. He is the co-author of the methodology of landscape-ecological planning LANDEP (Ružička, Miklós, 1981; 1990), which was recommended in the Agenda 21 document at the 1992 World Summit in Rio de Janeiro as an integrated approach to planning and managing the landscape.
In addition to creative scientific work and managerial activities, the organization of regular international symposia dedicated to the issue of ecological research of the landscape, which are held since 1967 every three years until now. He initiated the establishment of the International Association of Landscape Ecology (IALE), which became a reality in 1982 at the 6th symposium in Piešťany, Slovakia. He was vice president of IALE for two terms. Significant recognition was given to prof. Ružička and his landscape ecology school at the 4th INTECOL World Congress. 1986, at which his merits in the development of landscape ecology on European and global scale were highlighted. Following that, in the first issue of the new international journal Landscape Ecology, the editor-in-chief and president of INTECOL F.B. Golley characterized in the editorial, the work of prof. Milan Ružička and prof. László Miklós, as bearers of one of the two main directions in landscape ecology, focused on ecological landscape planning. From the many awards for the work of prof. Ružička are one of the most important ones The state award of the Slovak Republic - Order of Ľ. Štúra, II. class (2004) and International Association of Landscape Ecology IALE "Distinguished Service Award" for outstanding contribution to the development of IALE and landscape ecology (1989).
The results of the activity of prof. Ružička lives on here in many forms – in the institutions he founded and led, journals, publications and events, but especially in the people he raised, educated or influenced: his workers, co-workers, students. Even in them, his thoughts and ideas live on.
Ľuboš Halada