Bonn, 20 February 2015 - Tim lives on the remote Scottish island of Papa Westray, where he works from home adjacent to a nature reserve important for a number of AEWA species. When he is not being a freelance conservationist, he serves as fire-fighter, tour guide and license holder for the local shop and bar.  Previously Tim has lived and worked in Somalia, Zambia and Senegal, whilst shorter missions have taken him to nearly 40 countries in Africa. His main areas of expertise are project development, capacity-building and community-based wetland conservation, whilst he has a deep awareness of wetlands and waterbird conservation issues in Africa.

Tim has worked for and with WWF, Wetlands International and BirdLife International as well as with CMS and AEWA, and was the main author of the Wings Over Wetlands Flyways Training Kit.

“AEWA brings together a network of people who, in one way or another, are involved in conserving the rich diversity of waterbirds in the Africa-Eurasia region. It’s this ‘bringing together’ that’s important to me.  Migratory birds need countries to work together to put measures in place for their conservation wherever they may be during their astonishing life cycles; AEWA provides a great framework for those measures, which we all need to make the most of”, says Tim.

Recalling his most memorable moments working with AEWA, Tim said that the Training of Trainers workshops in Africa come to mind, especially the regional workshop in Naivasha, Kenya in 2013.  It included informative field visits, a lively karaoke, great exercises and role plays … and luckily none of the boats capsized.

The Shoebill, which Tim has seen in several range countries and the Arctic Tern, which he studied in Scotland are among his favourite species. The Shoebill never fails to impress when you meet it in a deep swamp, its quizzical eye staring back at you over its massive beak, whilst the first call of Arctic Terns arriving back to breed on a foggy day in May after their phenomenal migration is a wonder to behold.