Sir Martin Wyatt Holdgate CB (born 14 January 1931) is an English biologist and environmental scientist.

Sir Martin Wyatt Holdgate
Born (1931-01-14) 14 January 1931 (age 93)
Horsham, England
NationalityEnglish
Alma materQueens' College, Cambridge University
Known forEnvironmental conservation work
AwardsW. S. Bruce Medal, Companion of the Order of the Bath, UNEP Silver Medal, UNEP 500 Award, Commander Order of the Golden Ark, Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Knight Bachelor, Honorary Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, Honorary member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Scientific career
FieldsBiology, Environmental Science
InstitutionsManchester University, Durham University, Cambridge University, British Antarctic Survey, Nature Conservancy Council, Department of the Environment, International Union for Conservation of Nature

Early life edit

Holdgate was born in Horsham, England on 14 January 1931, grew up in Blackpool,[1] and was educated at Arnold School. He then attended Cambridge University as an undergraduate at Queens' College, Cambridge from 1949, graduating in 1952 with degrees in zoology and botany[2] and, subsequently, a doctorate in insect physiology.[1]

Career edit

He taught at Manchester University, Durham University and Cambridge, as well as undertaking expeditions to Tristan da Cunha, south-west Chile and the Antarctic.[1] He was Chief Biologist to the British Antarctic Survey, then research director of the Nature Conservancy Council and, for eighteen years, Chief Scientist and head of research at the Department of the Environment.[1] Subsequently, he was Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1]

After his formal retirement, he was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and served as co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, and Secretary of the UN Secretary General's High-Level Board on Sustainable Development.[1]

Awards and honours edit

Holdgate has received numerous awards and honours for his work.[3]

Holdgate has been President of the Zoological Society of London and of the Freshwater Biological Association.[1] He is also a member and fellow of the Institute of Biology, making him a Chartered Biologist, and entitling him to use the designations C.Biol and F.I.Biol. In July 2014, he was appointed President of Friends of the Lake District.[1]

Publications edit

Holdgate edited the journal Antarctic Ecology (published for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, by the Academic Press) from the first edition in 1970. His publications include the following:[3]

  • —— (1958). Mountains in the Sea. Macmillan; St.Martin's Press.
  • —— (1979). A Perspective of Environmental Pollution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521221979.
  • —— (1996). From Care to Action. Hemisphere. ISBN 978-1560325604.
  • —— (1999). The Green Web: A Union for World Conservation. Routledge. ISBN 978-1853835957.
  • —— (2003). Penguins and Mandarins: Memories of Natural and Un-Natural History. Memoir Club. ISBN 978-1841040790.
  • —— (2006). The Story of Appleby in Westmorland. Hayloft Publishing. ISBN 978-1904524359.
  • —— (2009). Arnold: the story of a Blackpool school. Hayloft Publishing. ISBN 978-1904524632.

As editor edit

  • The World Environment 1972–82. Tycooly International Publishing Ltd. 1982. ISBN 978-0907567141. (joint editor)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sir Martin Holdgate – New President of Friends of the Lake District". Friends of the Lake District. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  2. ^ Eminent Alumni Archived 16 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Queens's College, Cambridge, accessed 16 February 2010
  3. ^ a b Sir Martin Holdgate, CB Archived 20 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Debretts 'People of Today', accessed 16 February 2010

External links edit