He foresaw that conservation of wildlife depends on safeguarding habitats and, crucially, on involving and inspiring people
Long before it became widely acknowledged, WWT's founder Sir Peter Scott recognised the threat human activity poses to the environment. He foresaw that conservation of wildlife depends on safeguarding habitats and, crucially, on involving and inspiring people. The wetland centres he set up provide more than a sanctuary; they allow people to get up close to, enjoy and learn about wildlife. He remained at the forefront of conservation throughout his life. In 1973 he became the first person to be knighted for services to conservation, and his legacy continues to break new ground.
As a young man, Sir Peter established himself as a leading wildlife artist. His scientific interest developed in parallel to his artistic interest, a balance that was a theme of his life. His final painting, left unfinished on its easel, is of his vision for the WWT London Wetland Centre bringing wetland wildlife to the heart of the city. London Wetland Centre opened 11 years later and is respected worldwide as a model for urban conservation.
Sir Peter established the first wetland centre at Slimbridge by the River Severn, having been inspired by the wildfowl he found there. Slimbridge became the Scott's family home and well known to TV viewers across the country from the programme he broadcast from their living room. The programme, Look, was hugely popular and continued for 26 years. Slimbridge has a reputation as a centre for meticulous research which harks back to those early days.
Travelling the world presenting Faraway Look for the BBC, Sir Peter involved himself in many international initiatives. He was founder chair of the World Wildlife Fund (now WWF). He developed the IUCN Red Data Books which define the status of endangered species. A visit to the Antarctic in 1966 made him determined that it should remain a wilderness. His tireless lobbying paid off when in 1991 the Madrid Protocol was signed, designating the continent as a 'natural reserve land for science and peace' and protecting it for 50 years.
Peter's lasting legacy is the world conservation movement. Peter was its public face. If conservation were to pick on patron saint, I'd say it would be Peter. (David Attenborough, 2006)
Early years and inspiration
Sir Peter Scott spent much of his twenties on the saltings by the Wash, a landscape which is home to vast numbers of birds. Sir Peter painted and hunted and studied their behaviour.
At this time, hunting was the main way people engaged with wildlife. Sir Peter started to realise he could gain more from studying the birds alive. In his autobiography he recalls one morning while out shooting with a friend. He came across two birds which they had wounded. His immediate instinct was to keep the birds alive. He did this and, through doing so signalled a change of heart about hunting, it also gave Sir Peter the chance to learn more about the geese. Building on all he had learnt from wildfowling and painting, he embarked on a lifelong quest to study birds and share his enthusiasm for them. The legacy of that quest lives on in all WWT's work.