York academic makes the first Wildlife Power List

Posted on 12 May 2015

A University of York academic has been named as one of Britain’s 50 most influential conservation heroes by BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Professor Callum Roberts, of the University’s Environment Department features with conservationists such as Sir David Attenborough and primate scientist Dr Jane Goodall in the magazine’s first ‘Wildlife Power List’ published tomorrow.

The list, chosen from hundreds of nominations, comprises the people who a panel of experts decided will have the biggest impact on wildlife in the next decade.

The deciding factor was the judges’ assessment of each person’s potential to make a difference in the coming years, both in terms of practical conservation and the way we see the natural world.

Professor Roberts said: “It is a great and unexpected honour to have my work recognised with a group of people of this caliber, and great to see marine conservation prominent on the list. But while much has been accomplished in the last ten years there is still a long way to go before we have a credible network of marine protected areas around the UK. I suspect we will have to carry on battling for at least another decade before wildlife is safe in our seas.”

BBC Wildlife Magazine editor, Matt Swaine, says: “These are the people who we believe will shape the way we see the natural world in the coming years and who have the greatest potential to deliver a positive outcome for wildlife both in the UK and abroad.”

The list includes renowned broadcasters and celebrities as well as often unheralded scientists and conservationists whose vital work ranges from Sumatran orangutans to eagles in Scotland, from those campaigning for reintroduction of lynx in the UK to more protection for our oceans; and from the protection of rhinos to those speaking out for insects and invertebrates in the UK.

The May issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine featuring the Power List goes on sale on 13 May 2015.