Adrian Marten George Darby, (born 25 September 1937) is a British conservationist and academic.

Academic and conservation career

Darby served as a fellow and tutor in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

Keble College Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

(1963–1985), and visiting lecturer in

environmental economics Environmental economics is a sub-field of economics concerned with environmental issues. It has become a widely studied subject due to growing environmental concerns in the twenty-first century. Environmental economics "undertakes theoretical ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1978. He subsequently served as chairman of Europe's largest nature conservation organization the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

(1986–1993), and became vice-president from 1996 onwards. He founded the

Kemerton Conservation Trust Kemerton Conservation Trust is a registered charity which aims ''"to conserve wildlife and places of beauty in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and adjoining counties for the public benefit."'' Much of the Trust’s activity takes pla ...

in 1989. Darby was chairman of Plantlife International 1994–2002, and president from 2005 onwards. He was chairman of Planta Europa 1998–2004. In 1995 he became a trustee of the

Herpetological Conservation Trust Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) is a British wildlife charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of per ...

. He served as chairman of the UK Committee of the

World Conservation Union The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the statu ...

(1996–1999). From 1997 he sat on the board of the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency. He served as chairman of the

Joint Nature Conservation Committee The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the public body that advises the Government of the United Kingdom and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation. Originally established under the Environmental Pro ...

of the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2007. Darby was appointed

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for services to nature conservation in 1996.

Other voluntary interests

Darby has served as a regional committee member of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

; a fellow (governor) of

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

(1979–1994); a county committee member of the Country Landowners Association. Since 1998 he has been a

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

councillor for Wychavon District Council in

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

Family

Darby is the son of Col. Cyril Darby MC of Kemerton Court and Monica Dunne, daughter of Marten Dunne, MP of Gatley Park. He is married to acupuncturist Lady Meriel Darby, daughter of the former

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel ( ; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), known as Lord Dunglass from 1918 to 1951 and the Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...

. He has one son, Matthew, and one daughter, Catherine.

References

* Debrett's People of Today. (2013).

External links

Interview in Plant TalkJNCC website

RSPB websitePlantlife websitePlanta Europa websiteKemerton Conservation Trust websiteWychavon District Council websiteHerpetological Conservation Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darby, Adrian English conservationists English environmentalists People educated at Eton College Fellows of Keble College, Oxford People from Wychavon (district) Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Society for the Protection of Birds people Living people 1937 births Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Councillors in Worcestershire