Dr Peter G.H. Evans

Director - Sea Watch Foundation

Today’s Date: 10 January 2009

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

No single interaction, just a composite of encounters. The ones that come t mind include: a gyr falcon hunting little auks on an island in NW Greenland, vast seabird colonies on offshore islands (Agparssuit in Upernavik District, St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides, Sula Sgeir off North Scotland; Inishtearaght in SW Ireland), parrots calling over rain forest at dawn in Dominica, minke whales and a humpback lunge feeding in the Inner Hebrides, fifty humpbacks bubble netting in West Greenland, friendly gray whales with their calves in Baja California, a large school of bottlenose dolphins socialising off the Welsh coast, fin whales feeding in Pembrokeshire, SW Wales.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

1) The sandy shores of Llanddwyn Island off the coast of Anglesey, North Wales
2) The islands of Skye, Rum, Eigg and Muck from a mountain top on the west coast of Scotland

Now? 1) The coast of North West Greenland in Upernavik District
2) The mountain rain forests of the island of Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is and why?

I don't have any single favourite animal, but my favourites include Risso's dolphin, minke whale, little auk, guillemots, red-necked and imperial parrots [Note from Jeremy- the red-necked and imperial parrots of Dominica are beautiful birds- I was lucky enough to see and hear both species while on a tropical ecology course trip to the island back in 1995 while I was in college]

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Continued degradation and loss of quality habitat for wildlife species - rainforests, coastal seas, polar environments are all examples. Habitat loss can result from many different types of pressure: direct removal, pollution, disturbance, impacts of climate change, etc.

5. If you could give one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Change our philosophy from a desire for sustained economic growth and per capita increase in resource exploitation to living a more modest and sustainable life with lower demands on resources.