Top wildlife post for Ian

Dec 5 2008 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

FORMER Perth man Ian Darling has added another feather to his cap after being named the new UK chairman of the RSPB.

Ian (63) has held various other posts within the wildlife charity, having been an RSPB trustee since 2000 and chairman of its conservation committee for the past five years.

The society is the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe, with more than 80,000 members in Scotland.

Ian, a former Perth Academy pupil who once worked for Fair City firm Bell Ingram but is now based in Edinburgh, told the PA his love of the natural world was inspired by the picturesque Big County scenery of his childhood.

“I have always been interested in wildlife and the environment, ever since I was a young boy.

“I used to cycle to the Tay reedbeds from our family home in Perth and watch the birds there, and I used to go to Strathearn to watch the geese regularly too.

“I travel quite a lot and have seen all sorts of wildlife all over the world, I was in Madagascar recently.

“But Scotland, and especially Perthshire, has habitats that can match anywhere I’ve seen.

“I like to see wild habitats and scenery and the ones we have here are just as important as the rainforests of Brazil when it comes to conservation.

“I have been a member of the RSPB for about 40 years and have been on the management side for the last ten or so.

“I am very pleased to have been appointed to this position, it is a great honour,” he said.

Ian is the first Scot to take the reins of the RSPB – which has an annual turnover of more than £100 million – for over 50 years.

He has also served on the British Trust for Ornithology, has a past-presidency of the Scottish Ornithology Club under his belt, and his love of the outdoors currently sees him chair the Isle of May Bird Observatory Trust– the oldest bird observatory in Scotland.

Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said: “With difficult financial times ahead, Ian’s experience will also be invaluable in helping see us through so we can emerge better equipped to tackle the big problems facing our environment.”