Lehmann Valencia was born in the city of Popayán, in Cauca, Colombia. His grandfather, Friedrich Carl Lehmann, a Colombia-based German explorer, had died while crossing the Río Timbiqui; his father, Federico Carlos Lehmann Mosquera was widowed when his son was born, and Lehmann Valencia[1] was largely brought up by his grandmother who encouraged his interest in geography and natural history. Lehmann Valencia studied at the University of Cauca in Popayán from 1929 to 1934.[2]
Career
In 1938 Lehmann Valencia accepted a job in the Institute of Botany at the National University of Colombia in Bogotá. There he was put in charge of the collection of animal specimens, travelling throughout the country to build up the collection, and becoming increasingly interested in ornithology and in environmental protection. He became involved with the International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International) and during the 1940s and 1950s worked to promote conservation legislation.[2]
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Lehmann(-Valencia)", p. 154).
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. xiii + 262 pp. ISBN978-1-907807-41-1. ("Lehmann(-Valencia)", p. 122).