Contribution to Protected Areas
1. Scientific research
- Analysis of post-glacial evolution and modern coastal processes St Cyrus National Nature Reserve, Scotland 1967-71
2. Legal instruments
- Personally developed Natural Heritage Areas concept into statute as Section 12 Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991
- Lead Bill team advising Government Ministers on Natural Heritage(Scotland) Bill given Royal Assent in 1991
- Developed and gained political agreement for statutory role on sustainable development: first statutory recognition of sustainable development in the UK 1990-91
3. Policy development
- Developed Scottish government’s proposals for Scotland’s Natural Heritage: lead author of government consultation paper Scotland’s Natural Heritage: the Way Ahead 1989
- Head of policy division in Scottish government 1988-91 responsible for establishing new government agency for the natural heritage and merger of Countryside Commission for Scotland and the Nature Conservancy Council (Scotland) to form Scottish Natural Heritage: chief government adviser on and lead responsibility for all natural and cultural protected areas in Scotland
- Instigated working parties, with Scottish government ministerial support, to develop policy and practice for two of Scotland’s special protected areas: Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs 1989 onwards
- Instigator and lead developer of Natural Heritage Futures programmes for Scotland from 2000 to 2025 to provide biogeographical basis for protected areas development and management and link to stakeholder communities and to wider landscapes and seascapes
4. Stakeholder engagement
- Oversaw development of incentive schemes for specific habitats and species conservation with private landowners, especially for internationally significant and protected mire and moorland habitats 1993-2002
- Oversaw development of management incentive schemes with private landowners for international protected species in protected areas 1993-2002
- Developed special working parties to determine the management of protected areas in Scotland 1989-1991
5. Developing new protected areas
- Lead SNH team advising Scottish government on revisions to landscape protected areas, National Scenic Areas late 1990s
- Lead SNH team advising Scottish government on national parks system for Scotland 1997-98
- Lead SNH team advising Scottish government on proposals for National Park for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs 1999-2000
- Lead SNH team advising Scottish government on proposals for National Park for the Cairngorms 2000-01
- Adviser to Danish government Forest and Nature Agency and Danish NGO Frilufsrådet on development of national parks system for Denmark 2003-12
- Adviser to Icelandic Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources and Icelandic Nature Conservation Agency on establishment of new protected areas, especially Vatnajökull National Park ongoing from 2000
6. Protected area management & capacity building
- Geomorphological components of management plan for St Cyrus National Nature Reserve Scotland 1970 and 1980
- Evaluation of management requirements sedimentary coastal systems Argyll, Islay/Jura, Wester Ross, Scotland including National Scenic Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest requirements 1972-74
- Devising governance arrangements and institutional structure and recommendation capacity building measures for Bulgarian wetlands protected areas for Ministry of Environment and Waters, Government of Bulgaria 2005-06
- Development of business plan and environmental education facilities on local nature reserve for Murton Trust for Environmental Education, Scotland 2003-04
- Policy development, quality standards setting, development of portfolio management for the National Trust for Scotland protected areas and natural, cultural and built heritage as Convener of Conservation 2004-09
- Adviser to NGOs on future management of Thjorsarver protected area and Ramsar site, Iceland 2004-ongoing
- Member of assessment team (with IUCN and WCPA colleagues) on management of Tatra National Park, Slovakia advising Government of Slovakia and national park administration 2005
- Verification and Certification of wilderness national parks in European as Verifier for PANParks Foundation: Rila NP, Bulgaria, Fulufjallet NP, Sweden 2006-12
- Adviser to Slovenian government, protected area authority and NGOs on future management of Triglav National Park 2002-08
- Overseeing management of protected areas for pant conservation and lead review of reserves (2008-09) as Board member and later Chairman of Plantlife International 2002-11
- Development of application of bioregional and connectivity approaches in the UK as Chair of IUCN National Committee 1999-2002, chair of Sibthorp Trust 2004-13, and through appointment as Fellow of Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management 2007-
- Development of ecologically sustainable tourism in Danube delta protected area Ukraine as Director of Fieldfare International Ecological Development plc 2004-
- Capacity on protected areas for Turkish Cypriot protected area staff Cyprus 2009
- Assisting in Equilibrium consultancy study of Management Effective Scheme for Scotland’s National Nature Reserves 2008-09
- Building links between ecosystem health and human health in UK as chairman of Sibthorp Trust: expert seminar and publication 2007-09
- Chaired new governance arrangements for Scotland’s first Biosphere Reserve of the new generation 2011-14
7. IUCN WCPA: Europe
- Member of WCPA Europe Steering Committee 1997-2000
- Regional Vice-Chair Europe of WCPA for two terms 2001-08
- As Regional Vice-Chair key achievements in European Region:
• developed and circulated to all WCPA and IUCN members in Europe new programme and reported results to all members
• development and testing of verification and certification procedures;
• development of education and training for protected areas stakeholders
• Transboundary cooperation and information sharing
• formal Certification of key protected areas under IUCN Management Categories system
• expert missions to review problems and propose management solutions
• guidance on good practice in protected management published
• guidance on delicate issue of hunting and game management in protected areas issued
• Established close working links with IUCN European and Mediterranean offices
• Established WCPA Focal Points with 6 IUCN National Committees
• Agreed Memorandums of Understanding with key protected areas bodies: Europarc Federation and PANParks
• Organised 2 WCPA Europe members meetings, parallel to IUCN members meetings
• Recruited new more active members
• Maintained contact with members through newsletter and later through email
8. IUCN WCPA global
- Undertook fundamental review of WCPA and the Protected Areas Programme of IUCN in 1998 (with assistance of Enrique Lahmann) for WCPA Chair and IUCN Director General leading to many recommendations being agreed and implemented
- Played formative role in WCPA Global Steering Committee 2001-08, including definition and redefinition of role of Regional Vice-Chairs
- Lead development and agreement of Durban Accord and Durban Action Plan for World Parks Congress 2003 as chair of international working group
- Chaired programme committee for Durban +5 review meeting in Cape Town South Africa reviewing progress and developing forward agenda 2008
- Contributing to Categories review: persuaded colleagues to use the word ‘nature’ in the revised IUCN definition of a protected area, to broaden the concept beyond biodiversity to include ecosystem services and geodiversity
- Participated in and part funded UK fundamental review of IUCN management categories 2010 onwards, and launched results at WPC Sydney 2014
- Lead the formation of the Geodiversity Specialist Group of WCPA, drafted outline of Best Practice Guide on Geoheritage Conservation in Protected Areas and published material in Worboys protected areas management handbook and in Parks
- Funded and participated in first global webinar of intergenerational dialogues preparing for WPC Sydney
9. Recognition
- WCPA Emeritus 2012
- WCPA honour Roger Crofts for his profound commitment to protected areas and many contributions to the global work of IUCN in his role as Regional Vice-Chair Europe 2000-08
- Commander of the British Empire (CBE) 1999 for services to environmental management in Scotland
- Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon for nature conservation work in Iceland 2014
- Soil Conservation Medal for Icelandic soil conservation and ecological restoration work 2011
- Fellowships of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 2000, Royal Scottish Geographical Society 2001, Royal Geographical Society 2002, Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management 2008, Royal Society of Arts 1997, Crichton Carbon Centre 2014
- Hon DSc St Andrew’s University 2004 and Hon DSc Glasgow University 2013
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