On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Sir Davis Attenborough, Minister for Environment John Cortes has made the following comment:

“Sir David’s contribution to global knowledge and appreciation of Nature is second to none. His work and output have been truly phenomenal, and he has brought the fascination of wildlife and the natural environment into countless homes, and in a way that can garner nothing but sympathy for the cause and support for biodiversity conservation.

“I have had the honour and pleasure of meeting Sir David several times in my career. First, together with Clive Finlayson, we worked with him on the 1998 series Life of Birds, where he came to Gibraltar to cover bird migration over the Strait. A more recent occasion was a presentation on global biodiversity at the National History Museum in London where I was able to recall his visit with Sir David and his close collaborator Dr Mark Rose, with whom I was at University back in the seventies. He recalled his visit to Gibraltar well and seemed well aware of the nature conservation work that was being done here.

“He has been an inspiration to many, not least to me. His legacy is immense and our Planet and future generations owe him tremendously.”