Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson named Honorary Presidents of BirdLife's Rare Bird Club

28-04-2006

Noted Canadian authors and conservation activists Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson have accepted a joint role as Honorary Presidents of BirdLife International’s Rare Bird Club.

A couple for the past thirty-five years, they presently live in Toronto, Canada, but have also lived in Australia, France, the US and the UK. They are internationally recognized figures with extensive interests in and experience of wider nature conservation who are noted for their generosity in time and effort on behalf of other writers, social causes and conservation. They are avid birders.

Dr Michael Rands, Director & Chief Executive of BirdLife International, stated, "I look forward to having two such passionate and enthusiastic individuals of international stature to work with in support of BirdLife’s programmes on behalf of birds and biodiversity." He added, "They, together with BirdLife International’s Honorary President, HIH Princess Takamado of Japan, provide exciting opportunities to engage new audiences in our conservation mission, and their pre-eminence in the cultural arena will open new avenues through which to examine the value of nature and birds to the human experience."

Margaret Atwood is a novelist, poet, literary critic and one of the world's best known – and best-selling – authors. She has written more than 40 books, including The Handmaid’s Tale, Alias Grace, Cat’s Eye and the Booker-Prize winning novel The Blind Assassin. Man’s interaction with the natural environment frequently features in her work, from her ground-breaking book, Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature, through to Oryx and Crake, which depicts a near-future world in which human thoughtlessness has led to biological meltdown. She has also written For the Birds, an examination of habitat, ecology and birdwatching for youth. Her most recent works are The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (2005) and The Tent (2006).

Ms Atwood is the recipient of multiple awards, medals and prizes for her writing. Among others, Oryx and Crake was short listed in 2003 for seven awards including the Man Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, and the Orange Prize, while Alias Grace: A Novel won the Giller Prize.

Ms Atwood grew up amongst scientists. Her father, Dr. Carl Atwood, was an entomologist based at a forest-insect research station in northern Quebec and her older brother is a neurophysiologist. In 1998 she helped launch the Nature Discovery Fund with the Canadian Museum of Nature in her father’s honour. She received her B.A. from Victoria College, University of Toronto, and her A.M. from Radcliffe (Harvard University) as well as holding a score of honorary degrees.

Graeme Gibson is one of Canada’s foremost contemporary writers and editors and is the acclaimed author of Five Legs, Perpetual Motion and Gentleman Death. His most recent work is The Bedside Book of Birds: an Avian Miscellany (2005), "a wonderful collection of poetry and prose, folk tales and myths, which pay tribute to our feathered friends. . . ." (Mail on Sunday (UK)). It was hailed by Globe and Mail as "the most spectacular bird book of the year".

On Thursday 1st June at 4pm at the Kaitsu Lecture Theatre, New Hall in Cambridge (UK), Mr Gibson will discuss his book in a public lecture sponsored by BirdLife International.

Gibson is a past president of PEN Canada and the recipient of both the Harbourfront Festival Prize and the Toronto Arts Award, and is a member of the Order of Canada. He has been a council member of World Wildlife Fund Canada, and is chairman of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada.

In 1988-89 Mr Gibson played an active role in bringing North American and Cuban ornithologists together to provide training in field ornithology techniques and equipment to Cuban ornithologists and to investigate the possibility of conducting more in-depth research on the status on neotropical migrants wintering in Cuba. He has also worked on the preservation of important wetlands in Cuba, including Zapata Swamp, and beyond.

As joint Honorary Presidents, Atwood and Gibson will represent BirdLife International's Rare Bird Club at the highest level, advising in the growth and development of the Rare Bird Club and engaging members in supporting programs for the benefit of bird conservation, BirdLife International and the Club members. They comment, "We are thrilled to have been asked to fill this crucial position, and we look forward to working with BirdLife International, and to doing what we can to help it in its vital work."

BirdLife International is a partnership of people working together for birds and the environment. It promotes sustainable living as a means of conserving birds and other forms of biodiversity and is the leading authority on the status of birds and their habitats. Over 10 million people support the BirdLife Partnership of national non-governmental conservation organizations and local networks. BirdLife is a network of more than 100 national Partner NGOs including Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada.

BirdLife International’s Rare Bird Club was founded in 1988 by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Since that time members have provided support that enables the Secretariat to conduct scientific research, priority international projects and advocacy work. Members come from all walks of life including heads of state and industry, distinguished international citizens, concerned individuals and families. The Rare Bird Club is for nature lovers, keen birders and conservationists from all over the globe.

ENDS

For further information about BirdLife International, contact:
Ed Parnell, Communications Officer, BirdLife International,
email: ed.parnell@birdlife.org Tel: +44 (0)1223 277 318

For information about the Rare Bird Club or other ways to support BirdLife International, contact:
Nancy Curry, Director of Development, BirdLife International,
email: nancy.curry@birdlife.org Tel: +44 (0)1223 279 807