The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust was well represented in the King’s Birthday Honours List announced on 15 June.
Peter Thompson, former GWCT advisor, was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Farmland Ecology and Wildlife Conservation, and Hugh Oliver-Bellasis, a Vice-President and former Trustee of GWCT, was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Nature Conservation and the Rural Community.
Forty years ago, when biodiversity did not feature in the English dictionary and environment was not a word in common use, a farmer started a project that was to redefine agricultural practice for ever; in collaboration with the then Game Conservancy Trust (now GWCT) to solve a riddle of a declining bird, the wild grey partridge. He had returned to the family farm, Manydown, after 10 years to find them scarce where once they had been prolific.
Hugh Oliver-Bellasis worked with GWCT’s Dr Nick Sotherton, a young scientist recruited by GWCT, to set up the project with the goal of finding a way to recover grey partridges whilst continuing to grow productive arable crops.
Hugh Oliver-Bellasis is second from the left in this picture taken at Sandringham in 2022 when the GWCT planted a lime avenue there to commemorate its previous patron the Duke of Edinburgh. King Charles can here be seen planting the first tree.
The results were groundbreaking and saw the invention of conservation headlands, beetle banks and managed field margins all of which then went into Agri-environment Schemes and remain in them to this day. The measures were all designed to create in-field areas without herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides so that there were enough chick food insects to sustain grey partridge chicks.
Hugh says: “It was a painful journey - reviled by farmers as mad and interfering, hated by multinational chemical giants except ICI, dubbed unhelpful by the farming press and grudgingly accepted by wildlife charities for the increase in birds, butterflies, insects, and rare arable weeds [wild flowers in the wrong place]. Now these management techniques are embedded in modern agriculture as best practice and the foundation of Agrocology.”
Hugh has been part of the Trust’s journey ever since that first project in the early 1980s. He is now a GWCT Vice-President and spent many years as a trustee and vice-chairman.
Teresa Dent, Chief Executive of GWCT says: “Hugh was our longest serving trustee and did a huge amount for us in that time. With his unstinting support GWCT became one of the foremost farmland ecology research organisations in the UK, and our research has contributed to many wildlife-enhancing measures in modern agri-environment schemes in the UK.”
Hugh has also been a great supporter of and mentor for the Henry Plum Foundation, which helps young farmers starting up their own business within the agriculture and food sector, and a member of Hampshire Police's Independent Advisory Group.
Peter Thompson, who was awarded an MBE, is another GWCT legend. Peter worked for the trust for more than 30 years until his retirement in 2018. In his position as farmland biodiversity officer, he is described as a huge inspiration for many of the Trust’s current farmland conservationists.
Before joining GWCT Peter worked as an agronomist and crop consultant for commercial companies. At the same time, our farmland research group, building on Hugh Oliver-Bellasis’ work, had developed many management techniques to help support grey partridges, especially developing insect-rich brood cover and nesting cover.
These ideas needed to be promoted to farmers by someone who understood arable farming – especially pesticide use - who was BASIS trained and could speak with confidence to farmers. Peter was perfect for the role.
Known for his ability to translate science and communicate the message effectively, Peter toured the country giving advice about arable crop management and partridges. People always understood him and were enthused by his passion for wildlife. He inspired people to do better and achieve more on their farms.
Peter was at the forefront of the development of Farmer Clusters and his ideas, drive and advocacy for a bottom up, farmer-led approach to conservation have helped influence current and future agri-environment policy. A farm walk led by Peter was always a jolly affair, but packed full of knowledge and useful advice.
Peter is also a keen birder and has taught himself the identification of UK moths.
Mike Swan, Senior Advisor with the GWCT’s Advisory team, says: “From the start Pete helped and trained our team into a better understanding of farmland ecology and biodiversity, as well as mentoring and encouraging new members of the team whenever they came along. He was also always a ready source of advice for the whole team on cultivation and management of game cover and conservation crops, helping us to do a better job for our clients.
“He brought so much to the GWCT in terms of farmer support and trust; his background in agronomy meant that he knew about the cost and potential consequences of what he was asking them to do. That in turn meant that he commanded their respect and confidence.
“This MBE is richly deserved; Pete has made a huge contribution to conservation in the living and working countryside. His enthusiasm has inspired people to get on and get things done, and he has always been happy to go above and beyond to achieve this. It is also great that his enthusiasm for wildlife and conservation continues in retirement, not least through his chairmanship of the flourishing Salisbury and District Natural History Society.”
Roger Draycott, GWCT’s Director of Advisory, Education & Gamebird Policy, said: “It is wonderful news and so well deserved. We are very proud in the advisory team that one of our own has been recognised in this way.”
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