Roy Dennis (conservationist)

Last updated
Roy Dennis
Born
Roy Henry Dennis [1]

1940 (age 8384) [2]
OccupationConservationist
Known forSpecies reintroduction

Roy Henry Dennis (born 1940) is a British conservationist.

Dennis grew up in the New Forest in the 1940s. After school he spent time at bird observatories on the islands of Lundy and Fair Isle where he met and worked with ornithologist George Waterston, who attempted to reintroduce the white-tailed eagle to Britain in the 1960s. [3]

Dennis has worked in the Highlands and islands of Scotland since 1959, [4] and has been involved in reintroducing white-tailed eagles, red kites and beavers there. [3] He ran a project restoring the osprey population at Strathspey, where he worked as the RSPB's Highland officer, and oversaw the management of nature reserves including Loch Garten. [4] The Highland Foundation for Wildlife was renamed the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation in 2017. [5]

Dennis received an MBE in 1992 for services to nature conservation [6] and an OBE in 2024 for services to wildlife. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Society for the Protection of Birds</span> Charitable organisation focused on the conservation of birds and other wildlife in the UK

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red kite</span> Species of bird

The red kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds only in Europe, though it formerly also bred in west Asia and northwest Africa. Historically, it was only resident in the milder parts of its range in western Europe and northwestern Africa, whereas all or most red kites in northern mainland Europe wintered to the south and west, some also reaching western Asia, but an increasing number of northern birds now remain in that region year-round. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel, Libya and Gambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed eagle</span> Species of bird

The white-tailed eagle, sometimes known as the 'sea eagle', is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae which also includes other diurnal raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers. One of up to eleven members in the genus Haliaeetus, which are commonly called sea eagles, it is also referred to as the white-tailed sea-eagle. Sometimes, it is known as the ern or erne, gray sea eagle and Eurasian sea eagle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish crossbill</span> Species of bird

The Scottish crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. The Scottish crossbill was confirmed as a unique species in August 2006, on the basis of having a distinctive bird song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Species reintroduction</span> Wildlife conservation technique

Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. The goal of species reintroduction is to establish a healthy, genetically diverse, self-sustaining population to an area where it has been extirpated, or to augment an existing population. Species that may be eligible for reintroduction are typically threatened or endangered in the wild. However, reintroduction of a species can also be for pest control; for example, wolves being reintroduced to a wild area to curb an overpopulation of deer. Because reintroduction may involve returning native species to localities where they had been extirpated, some prefer the term "reestablishment".

Sir John Philip Lister Lister-Kaye, 8th Baronet, is an English naturalist, conservationist, author who is owner and director of the Aigas Field Centre, among other business interests. He is married with four children and has lived in the Highlands of Scotland since 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife management</span> Management and control of wildlife populations

Wildlife management is the management process influencing interactions among and between wildlife, its habitats and people to achieve predefined impacts. It attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include wildlife conservation, gamekeeping and pest control. Wildlife management draws on disciplines such as mathematics, chemistry, biology, ecology, climatology and geography to gain the best results.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural history of Scotland</span>

Natural history of Scotland concerns the flora, fauna and mycota of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ospreys in Britain</span>

The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution. The subspecies Pandion haliaetus haliaetus is native to Eurasia and is found in the British Isles, where it is a scarce breeder primarily in Scotland, with smaller numbers in England and Wales. It became extinct in the British Isles in 1916, but recolonised in 1954. Scandinavian birds migrate through Britain on the way to their breeding sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Scotland</span> Animals living in Scotland

The fauna of Scotland is generally typical of the northwest European part of the Palearctic realm, although several of the country's larger mammals were hunted to extinction in historic times and human activity has also led to various species of wildlife being introduced. Scotland's diverse temperate environments support 62 species of wild mammals, including a population of wild cats, important numbers of grey and harbour seals and the most northerly colony of bottlenose dolphins in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Rabinowitz</span> American zoologist

Alan Robert Rabinowitz was an American zoologist who served as the president, CEO, and chief scientist at Panthera Corporation, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 40 wild cat species. Called the "Indiana Jones of Wildlife Protection" by Time, he studied jaguars, clouded leopards, Asiatic leopards, tigers, Sumatran rhinos, bears, leopard cats, raccoons, cervidae, and civets.

George Waterston OBE FRSE FZS LLD was a 20th-century Scottish stationer, ornithologist and conservationist. From 1949 to 1954 he owned the remote Scottish island, Fair Isle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Conder</span> British ornithologist

Peter Conder, OBE was a British ornithologist and conservationist known predominantly for his contribution as Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Fergus Michael Edmund Beeley is an English wildlife conservationist and filmmaker. He is best known for his work producing films for BBC Natural World, including "White Falcon, White Wolf"; "The Eagle Has Landed"; "Return of the Eagle Owl"; and "Spectacled Bears: Shadows of the Forest". He joined the BBC Natural History Unit in 1990 and has produced series including Planet Earth: The Future and The Life of Birds in collaboration with David Attenborough.

<i>Trees A Crowd</i> Natural history podcast

Trees A Crowd is a natural history podcast presented by actor David Oakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Colwell</span> Environmentalist and producer and author

Mary Colwell is an English environmentalist author and producer. She previously worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. She is founder and director of the charity Curlew Action and Chair of the Curlew Recovery Partnership England, a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs initiated roundtable dedicated to reversing the decline of the Eurasian Curlew.

Jim Crumley is a Scottish journalist, a former newspaper editor and regular columnist for the Dundee Courier and The Scots Magazine. He is also the author of more than 40 books, mostly on the wildlife and wild landscapes of Scotland, many of them making the case for species reintroductions, or ‘rewilding’. His Seasons series, a quartet of books exploring the wildlife and landscapes and how climate change is affecting our environment across the four seasons, is highly acclaimed. The Nature of Autumn was longlisted for the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize 2017 and shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Society and White Horse Bookshop Literary Prize 2017. The Nature of Spring was BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. The Nature of Summer, published in 2020, was shortlisted for the 2021 Highland Book Prize. His most recent book, Lakeland Wild, is his first to focus entirely on an English landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raptor persecution</span> Abuse of birds of prey

In the United Kingdom, raptor persecution is a crime against wildlife. The offence includes poisoning, shooting, trapping, and nest destruction or disturbance of birds of prey.

Wild Isles is a 2023 British television nature documentary series presented by Sir David Attenborough. The five-episode series covers the wildlife of the British Isles. Silverback Films was commissioned by the BBC to create the series, with co-production and part funding from the RSPB, World Wide Fund for Nature and Open University. It was filmed over three years in 145 locations across the British Isles.

References

  1. 1 2 "Roy DENNIS". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  2. "Roy Dennis by Alison Kinnaird". National Galleries Scotland. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 Barkham, Patrick (16 April 2021). "Conservation legend Roy Dennis: 'We're facing an ecological crisis, but it's exciting too'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  4. 1 2 Taylor, Lauren (13 January 2024). "The Birdman of Forres: 83-year-old Roy recognised for lifetime championing Scottish wildlife". Press and Journal. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. "About us". Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  6. "Moray conservationist given RSPB's highest award". Northern Scot. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2024.