Sir David Attenborough OM CH FRS Hon. FBNA

2007 Recipient

Sir David Attenborough is without doubt the best known and best loved living naturalist in the world. His BBC natural history programmes have been shown to a huge audience worldwide, 'Life on Earth' alone was watched by an estimated 500 million people around the globe.

His enthusiasm and fascination with wildlife is undiminished in a television career of over 50 years during which time he has made a unique and outstanding contribution to the understanding of natural history not only in this country, but around the world. No-one is more deserving of the BNA's Peter Scott Memorial Award given in memory of that other great pioneer natural history television broadcaster and friend of Sir David.

His first milestone in his broadcasting natural history career was his 'Zoo Quest' series which broke new grounds in recording species in parts of the world that had never previously been filmed.

After a spell behind the scenes he made 'Eastwards with Attenborough' on the natural history of S.E. Asia. His epic 13 part BBC Natural History Unit series 'Life on Earth' was transmitted in 1979, followed in 1984 by the sequel series 'The Living Planet'. The trilogy of epics was completed with 'The Trials of Life' in 1990.

These were followed by 'The First Eden' then 'Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives', and then the stunning 'Life in the Freezer' bringing the BBC's lens to polar species.

Sir David then undertook another epic series, this time with 'The Private Lives of Plants'. His long time fascination with Birds of Paradise was revisited with 'Attenborough in Paradise'.

Another epic series followed with the BBC's 'Life of Birds', then 'State of the Planet', 'The Blue Planet', and then 'The Life of Mammals'. Who else could have undertaken 'Planet Earth'?

Now over 80 Sir David has been making what he believes is the last of his epic series 'Life in Cold Blood', which will bring to viewers an understanding of the lives of reptiles and amphibians.

Sir David has conveyed his love and real interest in the species he presents in such a remarkable way that he has held our rapt attention for over half a century.

He was knighted over 20 years ago, and has received proper recognition and many awards for his significant achievement. The British Naturalists' Association is delighted that Sir David has accepted this award given to him as an outstanding naturalist by the national body for naturalists.

Sir David has written: “I am greatly honoured that the British Naturalists' Association should have decided to present me with the Peter Scott Award. I look at the list of previous recipients – and think too of Peter for whom I had such an affection and respect – and I realise very well what a real honour this is”.

Professor Mike Majerus BSc PhD MA FRES HonFBNA

2006 Recipient

Michael Majerus began collecting insects when he was four.  His fascination with this group, and in particular their value in studying evolution, has spanned over forty years, and dominated both his school and professional career.  Educated at St. Martin's School, Northwood, and Merchant Taylor's School, Moor Park, he studied for both a B. Sc. and a Ph. D. at Royal Holloway College, University of London, completing his formal education in 1978.  Following two years as a university teacher at Keele University, Staffordshire, he moved to Cambridge in 1980, to conduct research into sexual selection in ladybirds and melanic polymorphism in moths.  He became a University Demonstrator in 1983, a University lecturer in 1987 and Reader in Evolution in 2001.  In 1991 he became a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and was awarded an honorary M. A. He is President of theAmateur Entomologists' Society, and is a Fellow of the Royal EntomologicalSociety and a member of the Genetics Society.

Michael has written over 180 scientific papers and six books, mainly on ladybirds, moths and butterflies, as well as numerous articles for natural history and science magazines.  He ran the Cambridge Ladybird Survey from 1984-1994, and worked with WATCH, the Junior wing of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, and Blue Peter to involve young naturalists in ladybird research.  He is now leading the Harlequin Ladybird and UK Ladybird Surveys.  He has passionate views on the need to make science more accessible to the public, and regularly lectures to natural history societies and schools, as well as appearing on television and radio.  He has also advised on a number of natural history and science programs and museum exhibitions.

He lives with his wife Tina and his three children, in a house in a field near Cambridge, and likes it a lot.

http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/Research/majerus.htm

Recipients of the Peter Scott Memorial Award:

2007 : Sir David Attenborough, pre-eminent natural history broadcaster.

2006 : Professor Mike Majerus, the leading researcher on ladybirds.

2005: Bill Oddie, ornithologist, conservationist, and natural history presenter; famous for television programmes such as Springwatch and Bill Oddie goes Wild.

2004: Dr. Max Hooper, a co-author of the New Naturalist volume 'Hedges' and known for his 'Hooper's Hedgerow Hypothesis'; former Head of Station at Monks Wood for the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology.

2003: Mr. Roger Tabor, TV Naturalist, world authority on cats, author, and Chairman, Hon. Scientific Officer and Hon. vice-president of BNA.

2002: Tony Soper, writer and TV presenter, co-founder of the BBC's Natural History Unit and its first film producer.

2001: Dr Oliver Rackham, Research Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. World's leading authority on the ecological and social history of trees, ancient woodlands and forests.

2000 : Millennium, no presentation this year.

1999: Professor Sir Richard Southwood, formerly Professor of Zoology, University of Oxford, Hon. vice-president of BNA.

1998: Richard Fitter, author, Hon. vice-president of BNA.

1997: Gordon Beningfield, Wildlife Artist.

1996: John Clegg, author, former chairman of BNA, former editor of 'Country-Side' (1995-1967/8).

1995: Kenneth Watkins, OBE, Founder and President of the Woodland Trust.

1994: Dr Harold Hughes, Chairman of Butterfly Conservation.

1993: Professor Cloudsley-Thompson, Hon. vice-president of BNA, noted zoologist and naturalist.

1991: Professor David Bellamy, Conservationist, television personality and Hon. President of BNA.