Ahead of the Game

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s 57 years as patron of the GWCT reflected a pragmatic, pioneering approach to conservation

- JOE DIMBLEBY

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was a patron of more than 800 organizations, making his particular commitment to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) all the more remarkable. His involvement first as president then patron spanned half a century, reflecting a lifelong passion for conservation. Ahead of his time, he saw the risk to wildlife from the evolution of agriculture and urban encroachment on the countryside. In the foreword to the 1970 review of what was then The Game Conservancy, he wrote, “Changes in the way land is used are so rapid in these days that it is essential to keep a close watch for any signs that game and wildlife, in general, are suffering. The sooner these signs are detected the sooner solutions and remedies can be worked out and applied.”

His Royal Highness knew that for such remedies to work they had to fit into modern farming regimes. The GWCT’s director of policy, Alastair Leake, met The Duke on several occasions, including two private visits to the GWCT’s research and demonstration farm, the Allerton Project, at Loddington in Leicestershire. He said, “Prince Philip recognized that farmers had to continue to make a living. He was a realist and a conservationist.”

Roger Draycott, the GWCT’s director of advisory, concurred. He said, “The Duke of Edinburgh was a great example of a working conservationist because he really understood UK agriculture and species conservation and canvassed the views of the people on the ground. In this way, he was a wonderful advocate for the GWCT approach.”