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RSPB Chief Honoured By SAC - Stuart Housden OBE, Honorary Fellowship

SAC News Release Ref. No: 09N36
Published: 10 Jul 2009

Stuart Housden, the Director of RSPB Scotland, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of SAC. He joins a distinguished list including Sir Don Curry and Alex Fergusson MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. The honour was presented today during the SAC Graduation Ceremony in Bute Hall, University of Glasgow.

In presenting the award, SAC Chairman Lord Jamie Lindsay said, “I am delighted to recognise Stuart Housden’s major contribution to promoting the joint interests  of conservation and farming.  He has shown a commitment to working with SAC and many farming organisations and his willingness to identify common causes is widely respected."

Stuart Housden’s first post at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was at the organisation’s Bedfordshire HQ where, as a zoology graduate, he worked on international and protected species issues from 1977/79.  He moved on to lead teams campaigning about the loss of wetland habitats and the protection of biodiversity. It culminated in the passage of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act which improved the protection afforded to special sites and scarce species.

Through the 1980’s Stuart was involved in conservation planning, utilising the relationships established with farming and forestry interests and considering issues like planning, land drainage, river basin management or marine and fisheries concerns.

During this period, Stuart’s team argued that a reformed Common Agricultural Policy should include a scheme to positively reward land managers for conservation work.  They also suggested publicly-funded farming programmes should be linked to the protection of habitats, biodiversity and landscapes.  Today their phrase “Cross Compliance” has become enshrined in EU jargon and it is a commonly held principle that farmers should benefit from undertaking conservation management.  In 1994 Stuart Housden was appointed Director of RSPB Scotland, and a Member of the RSPB’s UK Board.  He has worked to build a better understanding of the RSPB amongst the farming and crofting community and to improve the quality of the debate surrounding environmental and farming matters.  He now leads an organisation with some 78,000 members in Scotland and a ful- time staff of 200.

RSPB Scotland is the country’s eighth largest land manager with over 200 farming and crofting partners helping to manage 65,000Ha. There is a large in-hand stock farm on Islay and an agricultural tenancy on Oronsay. Pioneering ideas are trialled on this land to show how farming and conservation can work together.

“Stuart believes in sound science and a practical approach to solving problems” said Jamie Lindsay, “He has shown a commitment to the future of farming in Scotland, including the hills. He has been publicly critical of limited EU funding for agri environment schemes in the UK and especially Scotland.”

On receiving his award Stuart Housden confirmed his belief that co-operation and partnership is the best way to achieve success in tackling major environmental challenges.

”I am delighted to be recognised by SAC. For many years it has been my aim to work with the farming industry to devise practical policies and workable solutions to the challenges and opportunities faced by land managers.  Now more than ever, we need a strong sense of shared purpose if the threats to biodiversity and the challenge of a changing climate are to be overcome, so that Scotland continues to have a rich countryside, where wildlife thrives, and farming communities can prosper.”

Stuart Housden was made an OBE in 2005 for his services to the conservation of biodiversity.

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News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

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