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The Peter Scott Memorial Award
The 2009 Award was presented to Professor Trevor Beebee by Professor David Bellamyr, British Naturalists' Association President, at the 2009 BNA Conference. Past recipients of the award are set out here. |
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Professor Trevor Beebee HonFBNA 2009 Recipient
He and his team have been involved in the Pool Frog Project since it began. In 2005, after ten years of research, Trevor and his team had been able to demonstrate by comparing the genetic make-up and their mating calls, that the Northern Pool Frog (Rana lessonae) is a native British species. A population of these frogs that lived in Norfolk until they died out in the 1990s, had been thought to be an alien introduction. However, when compared to the current populations across Europe, Trevor’s team found that the Norfolk frogs had a “regional Norfolk accent” allied to those in Scandinavia of the ‘clade’ of Northern Pool Frogs and were genetically distinct. Trevor’s team were part of the Pool Frog Species Action Plan, that was headed by Natural England (then English Nature) and the Herpetological Conservation Trust, which in consequence of the research reintroduced 75 Pool Frogs back to the wild in Britain, releasing them at Thetford in Norfolk. As Britain only had 6 native amphibians, the recognition and addition of a 7th is a significant contribution. Trevor has also examined in detail the population of Natterjack Toads, and published “The Natterjack Toad” monograph with Oxford University Press, and the “Natterjack Toad Conservation Handbook”. He co-wrote “Introduction to Molecular Ecology”, “Pond Life” and the influential Collins New Naturalist series book “Amphibians and Reptiles”. Trevor’s best loved and most widely known publication however is “Frogs and Toads” in the immensely popular Whittet Books series, which has introduced many naturalists to a better understanding of amphibians. |
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Simon King HonFBNA 2008 Recipient
Born in Kenya in 1962, Simon moved to the UK two years later and was raised in Bristol. His first natural history series looking at British wildlife was as the boy in ‘Man & Boy’ shown in 1976 and ’78. He left school at 17 to make his first TV film, ‘The Willow”, the story of the wildlife in and around a willow. His next ‘World About Us’ film was ‘The Hidden Land’ which looked at the wildlife around hotels in the Costa del Sol. As principal cameraman, director & producer, Simon has made over 80 natural history films, and presented many more as presenter. His name was in the titles of his BBC series ‘King’s Country’, ‘King’s Country Diary’ and ‘King and Company’. He also made a number of BBC2’s Christmas wildlife dramas including ‘Rannoch the Red Deer’ and ‘Dusk the Badger’. In this series he won international awards for ’Aliya the Asian Elephant’ and ‘Tyto the Barn Owl’. His camera skills contributed to the Emmy & Bafta award-winning success of the BBC series ‘Planet Earth’, ‘Seas of Life’, ‘Life in the Freeze’, and who will forget his footage of orcas attacking a sea lion on a beach in ‘Blue Planet’. A significant part of Simon’s work is set in the UK, such as ‘Britain Goes Wild’, Wild in Your Garden’ and ‘Highland Diary’, however, his African roots and that continent’s amazing wildlife drew him to front ‘Big Cat Diary’ and ‘Big Cat Week’ following the progress of individual lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara as part of the NHU’s Live Watch programmes. His respect and fascination for the wildlife he gently talks about and films shines through. He appreciates from years of watching wildlife through a lens the appropriate way to behave around wild animals, which he brings to the benefit of his TV presentation. Simon has the remarkable fusion of excellent field naturalist, TV presenter, cameraman and film-maker together in his work. His achievements are remarkable and bring a better understanding of natural history to us all. Simon King was interviewed for the Radio
Times (14-20 June 2008): |
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Sir David Attenborough OM CH FRS Hon. FBNA 2007 Recipient
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”. |
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Professor Mike Majerus BSc PhD MA FRES HonFBNA 2006 Recipient
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 Very sadly Professor Mike Majerus died in January 2009. The Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Country-side carried the Association's Obituary to this great naturalist and gifted teacher. At the May 2009 National Conference of the British Naturalists' Association a Remembrance was held in the chapel for Professor Majerus. |
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Recipients of the Peter Scott Memorial Award: 2009: Professor Trevor Beebee, Professor of Molecular Ecology at the University of Sussex, acknowledged authority on the conservation biology and molecular ecology of amphibians. 2008: Simon King, noted natural history presenter, film-maker & cameraman. 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. |
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This
award is made annually by the BNA to a person who has made an outstanding
contribution to our understanding of natural history and conservation.
Professor
Beebee is an acknowledged authority on the conservation biology
and molecular ecology of amphibians. He is Professor of Molecular
Ecology at the University of Sussex, President of the British Herpetological
Society, and Trustee of the Herpetological Trust and Amphibian Conservation
Research Trust. He researches the significance of genetic variation
for the long term survival of amphibian populations, and the risks
of isolation and inbreeding. He has studied polymorphic genetic
markers to assess British and European amphibian populations, and
the application of both genetic and ecological approaches to conserving
amphibians and their habitats. 
Simon
is a familiar face and voice on our televisions presenting fascinating
aspects of Britain’s natural history from some of Britain’s wildest
places in the BBC’s ‘Springwatch’ and ‘Autumnwatch’. His audience
has become far more familiar with the behaviour of rutting stags
and shoreline otters in Scotland as a result. 
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.
© 2005 British Naturalists’ Association.
Registered
charity no. 296551 company limited by guarantee, registered (no. 2119195)
in England and Wales ("BNA").
Photographs
and images copyright owners. All text copyright BNA. All rights reserved.
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