ECOLOGISTS GET BACK TO THEIR ROOTS IN SUSSEX

26 Aug 2005 03:15 PM

Top British ecologists will gather at Kingley Vale Nature Reserve in West Sussex on Tuesday 30 August to celebrate the life and work of Sir Arthur G. Tansley, widely regarded as the father of modern ecology and one of the 20th century's most important conservationists. The event coincides with the 50th anniversary of Tansley's death in 1955. Present at the event, which will include the unveiling and rededication of a memorial stone to Tansley at Kingley Vale, will be vice president of the British Ecological Society Professor Sue Hartley, English Nature's chief scientist Dr Keith Duff and representatives of the New Phytologist Trust and Tansley's family. According to Professor Hartley: “Arthur Tansley was one of the most influential founders of the discipline of ecology. He was the dominant figure in British ecology for the first half of the twentieth century, developed some of ecology's most fundamental concepts such as the ecosystem, and was influential in ensuring that nature conservation in Britain had a sound scientific basis. In 1913, he created the British Ecological Society, the first such society in the world, and was its first President. His monumental book 'The British Isles and its Vegetation' remains one of the most comprehensive accounts of any country's natural historical wealth.” English Nature's chief scientist Dr Keith Duff said: “Sir Arthur Tansley had the vision to see that nature conservation, while founded in strong ecological science, had to be supported by policy makers and the public more generally. He was interested in the whole countryside, not just a few special places. With the launch in 2006 of Nature Conservancy's latest successor, Natural England, we need to ensure that scientific legacy is maintained and used to sustain the landscapes and the wildlife that people treasure in the face of a rapidly changing environment.” As well as being a well-known beauty spot, Kingley Vale had a particular significance for Tansley because it became an outdoor laboratory for his studies of the dynamics of wild vegetation. Tansley is reputed to have regarded the view from the head of the valley towards Chichester as the finest in England. Tansley ensured that Kingley Vale was protected when in 1952 it became one of the first National Nature Reserves to be acquired by the Nature Conservancy, a forerunner of English Nature. In 1957 a memorial stone was erected at almost the exact spot where he had so often enjoyed the view. The memorial is a Sarsen stone from the Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve in Wiltshire. A bronze plaque on the stone now reads: “In the midst of this nature reserve which he brought into being this stone calls to memory Sir Arthur George Tansley, F.R.S., who during a long lifetime strove with success to widen the knowledge, to deepen the love, and to safeguard the heritage of nature in the British Isles. 2nd November 1957. Re-dedicated by the British Ecological Society, English Nature and the New Phytologist Trust 2005.”

Notes for editors

1. Further information and photographs are available from Becky Allen, Press Officer, British Ecological Society, tel: 01223 570016, mob: 07949 804317, email: beckyallen@ntlworld.com.
2. The British Ecological Society is a learned society, a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Established in 1913 by academics to promote and foster the study of ecology in its widest sense, the Society has 5,000 members in the UK and abroad. Further information is available at www.britishecologicalsociety.org.
3. English Nature is the independent Government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife and geology throughout England. Further details about its work are available at www.english-nature.org.uk. Following publication of the draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill in February, English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency's Landscape, Access and Recreation division are working towards integration as a single body: Natural England. It will work for people, places and nature with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public well-being, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed so they can be enjoyed now and for future generations.
4. The New Phytologist Trust is an independent charity dedicated to the promotion of plant science. Further details are available at www.newphytologist.org.