A conservationist who was instrumental in saving a nationally important York nature reserve has been awarded the Cadbury Medal.
And the honour was particularly special for Prof Alastair Fitter – as his father won the same award 26 years earlier.
Prof Fitter was awarded the Cadbury Medal from The Wildlife Trusts in recognition of 50 years of service to nature conservation and the instrumental role he played in saving Yorkshire’s natural crown jewel, Askham Bog.
Askham Bog was originally bought by the confectioners Francis Terry and Arnold Rowntree and given to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as a gift. Now the hero of the bog is being honoured in the name of another famous confectionery family.
Prof Fitter’s expertise was pivotal to the trust’s successful campaign to save the reserve from the impact of a proposed housing development.
He put in more than 400 hours’ work to bring his formidable knowledge of the nature reserve’s flora, fauna and hydrology to bear.
He told YorkMix why the bog is so special. “Askham Bog is the richest place in Yorkshire for wildlife.
“It’s got between five and ten per cent of the entire British fauna and flora in terms of numbers of species.
“And it’s a small place. It’s 120 acres of wonderful fen and bog, wet woodland and open water habitats.
“It’s just unbelievably rich. It’s also got a unique place in Yorkshire’s conservation history because it was the founding reserve of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.”
Alistair’s father, Richard Fitter, was awarded the Cadbury Medal in 1998 for his support of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
Richard Fitter, acclaimed author of many natural history guides and exceptional all-round naturalist, was famed for his 50-year study into the flowering times of plants.
At the time, it was the biggest analysis of the impacts of climate change on the natural world, shaping understanding to this day.
Alastair credits his father’s enthusiasm for his own success, and notes the crucial work of amateurs, and volunteers, like Richard, in scientific nature recording.
To this end, Alastair Fitter’s two sons are now avid moth recorders, contributing to the records of the 800 different moth species recorded at their father’s favourite place – Askham Bog.
Prof Fitter said: “My father’s pocket guides are one reason that so many people can access and understand nature – something which is paramount to taking action for our beautiful, but struggling, natural world.
“My hope now is that conservationists and naturalists, no matter how much expertise they have, work together for our common goal. After all, you can’t conserve what you don’t know about, and you cannot know about what has not been conserved.
“Anything I’ve ever done has been in a team. I’m not sure I have ever done anything particularly remarkable, but if we work together, remarkable things happen.”
Alastair, head of biology at the University of York, was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005, and awarded a CBE in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to environmental science.
Rachael Bice, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, says: “Alastair’s unwavering dedication to conservation and environmental science for over half a century has deeply enriched the work we are able to do protecting and restoring wildlife across Yorkshire.
“He has helped us to discover and nurture long-lost species at Askham Bog and beyond, advised on our ambitions for nature’s recovery and been a hardworking and deeply respected voice and advocate for nature, inspiring the next generation of naturalists.
“This award is so richly deserved and we are absolutely delighted that his contributions to a wilder world have been recognised.”