Sir Alan Francis Mark (born 19 June 1932) is a New Zealand botanist and environmentalist. He was an initial member of the

Save Manapouri campaign The Save Manapouri campaign was an environmental campaign waged between 1969 and 1972 in New Zealand to prevent the raising of the levels of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau as part of the construction of the Manapouri Power Project. Origins The ...

and the inaugural chair of the Guardians of Lake Manapouri for 26 years.

Biography

Mark was born in 1932 in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. His parents were Frances Evelyn Mark ( Marshall) and Cyril Lionel Mark. He attended Mornington School in Dunedin and received his secondary education at Mosgiel District High School in

Mosgiel Mosgiel () is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin City Council area. Mosgiel has a p ...

. He then graduated from the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in 1953, and a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in 1955. He obtained his PhD from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States, in 1958. From 1958 to 1959, he was a plant ecologist for the Otago Catchment Board. Since 1960, he has been at the University of Otago; first as a lecturer, then reader, then associate professor, and (since 1975) professor. From 1960 to 1964, he was a research fellow for the Miss E. L. Hellaby Indigenous Grasslands Research Trust. During 1966, he was visiting professor at Duke University. He retired from Otago University in 1998 and has since been ''

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

'' Professor. Mark was asked by the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development. * Department of Scientific and Industria ...

in October 1969 to study the lakeshore of

Lake Manapouri Lake Manapouri () is located in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is situated within the Fiordland National Park and the wider region of Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Māori History According to Māori peop ...

to see what environmental effect could be expected from the proposed raising of the lake level by . A heated public debate started over the proposal and Mark was a founding member of the

. The issue was significant in the 1972 general election, helped the Labour Party win and form the

Third Labour Government of New Zealand The Third Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1972 to 1975. During its time in office, it carried out a wide range of reforms in areas such as overseas trade, farming, public works, energy generation, local ...

, and

Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand and as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), minister of Foreign Affairs from 1972 until h ...

established the Guardians of Lake Manapouri. Mark was one of the six original Guardians and was the group's inaugural chairperson for 26 years. Mark was a member of the Otago Catchment Board from 1974 to 1986. From 1981 to 1990, he was a member of the NZ National Parks and Reserves Authority. From 1984 to 1986, he held membership of the Land Settlement Board. He was a foundation member of the Native Forest Action Council. He was a member of the Otago Conservation Board and the group's chairperson for some time. He is a life member of

Forest and Bird Forest & Bird (), also known by its formal name as the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, is an environmental organisation specialising in the protection and conservation biology, conservation of New Zealand's indigenous F ...

and was the group's president for some time.

Honours and awards

In 1975, Mark won the

Loder Cup The Loder Cup is a New Zealand conservation award. It was donated by Gerald Loder, 1st Baron Wakehurst in 1926 to "encourage and honour New Zealanders who work to investigate, promote, retain and cherish our indigenous flora". The Minister of C ...

, a New Zealand conservation award. He was elected

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

in 1978. In the

1989 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1989 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

, he was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...

(CBE) for services to conservation. Mark received the Royal Society Te Apārangi's

Hutton Medal The Hutton Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society Te Apārangi to a researcher who, working within New Zealand, has significantly advanced understanding through work of outstanding scientific or technological merit. Frederick Wollaston Hu ...

in 1997. In the

2001 New Year Honours The 2001 New Year Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British honours system, where New Year's Day, 1 January, is marked in several Commonwealth countries by appointing new members of orders of chivalry and recipie ...

, Mark was appointed

Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

(DCNZM) for services to conservation. In the 2009 Special Honours, Mark accepted for his DCNZM to become a titular honour and thus became a Knight Companion (KNZM). In 2010, he won the Charles Fleming Award for Environmental Achievement. Otago University conferred an honorary

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

(DSc) on Mark in May 2014.

Books by Mark

* * *

Family

In 1957, Mark married Patricia Kaye Davie. They were to have two daughters and two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mark, Alan 1932 births Living people New Zealand environmentalists People educated at Taieri College University of Otago alumni Duke University alumni Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand botanists Scientists from Dunedin Academic staff of the University of Otago Local politicians in New Zealand 21st-century New Zealand botanists