The prestigious Packard Award is made by IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) in recognition of outstanding service to protected areas. The award is named after the individual who served as Secretary to the WCPA in the early 1970s. He established an award in recognition of “valour” which has been used to recognise rangers who lost their lives in defence of wildlife and protected areas, but it is also awarded for exceptional personal or organizational dedication to protected area conservation, far exceeding normal expectations. We are delighted to report that one of 2016’s recipients was Roger Crofts.
Roger is known to many in the UK and elsewhere as the first Chief Executive of Scottish Natural Heritage and once Chair of the WCPA European region. Europe remains one of the most active regional WCPA groups. He was also Chair of the National Committee UK, and of the NGO and IUCN Member, Plantlife, and is a frequent advisor on conservation issues to the government of Iceland, among his very many achievements.
Most recently however, Roger has been active with the NCUK Protected Area Working Group, and instrumental in its ‘Putting Nature on the Map’ project, established to apply the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories to all UK sites. He has a particular interest in the recently established marine protected areas.
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