Press release

Reappointments to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Dr Robert Brown and Mr Guy Duke have been re-appointed as independent members of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) by Richard Benyon…

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Dr Robert Brown and Mr Guy Duke have been re-appointed as independent members of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) by Richard Benyon, Natural Environment and Fisheries Minister.

The appointments will run from 1 December 2012 for three years, and Dr Brown and Mr Duke will receive remuneration of £9,836 a year based on 2.5 days a month.

JNCC is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK wide and international nature conservation.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Code issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.

Biographies 

Dr Bob Brown was awarded an OBE for services to nature conservation in 2004. He has worked in research and wildlife conservation for 40 years, specialising in marine and bird conservation issues.  For ten years he managed the National Trust’s Strangford Lough coast and islands for their birds and marine wildlife. In 1991 he became Director of RSPB’s operations in N Ireland, working on the Province`s most important birds and their habitats.

He has played a key role in a large number of conservation related projects.  He has supported Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and UK governments in their work on biodiversity conservation, and contributed to the work of the Irish Sea Forum, Marine Conservation Society, Ulster Wildlife Trust at various times.  He has been a member of the Northern Ireland Committee of Heritage Lottery Fund since 2009. He also leads natural history tours the arctic and south America.

Mr Guy Duke has a wide range of experience in international conservation and sustainable natural resources management in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He consults on natural capital and ecosystem services markets, policy, research and knowledge exchange and is leading research for the Ecosystem Markets Task Force on opportunities forUK business that protect and value nature.

He works with The Environment Bank Ltd informing EU research and policy in relation to habitat banking. He is a Senior Visiting Research Associate atOxfordUniversity’s Environmental Change Institute and Chairs a European research network on raptor research and monitoring.

From 2002 to 2007 he served as Principal Administrator, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission (EC), with responsibility for biodiversity and ecosystem services policy. He was lead author of the 2006 White Paper which introduced the ecosystem services paradigm to EU policy. He played a key role in launching The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for the EC and UN.

From 1998 to 2002 he was Technical Director, ERM UK Ltd, creating a business area in natural resources and biodiversity with clients including The World Bank, EC and DfID. In his early career he led a pioneering conservation and development project in the westernHimalayasfor BirdLife International.

Updates to this page

Published 19 October 2012