David B. Wingate
Encyclopedia
Dr David Balcombe Wingate OBE
, born October 11, 1935, is an ornithologist, naturalist
and conservationist
. He was born in Bermuda
.
In 1951 he helped Robert Cushman Murphy
and Louis S. Mowbray re-discover a bird species thought extinct since the 1620s, the Bermuda petrel or Cahow.
This spurred him on to study Zoology at Cornell University
, returning to take on the challenge of saving the Cahow in 1958. He went on to become the Conservation Officer for the Bermuda Government Parks Department from 1966 to his retirement in 2000.
He was credited with rediscovering the Black-capped Petrel
in Haiti in 1963.
His lifelong efforts to bring back the Cahow from near-extinction led him to undertake the holistic restoration of an entire barren island's pre-colonial ecology
, in a project known as the Nonsuch Island 'Living museum
', reintroducing several other species in the process.
He has been honoured with a number of awards. These include the Queen's Honours (UK), the MBE and OBE
; King's Honours (Netherlands), Ridder, Order of the Golden Ark; the United Nations' Global 500 Award
and Dr.of Sci. Honoris causa, Clark University, Massachusetts. In 2007 he was nominated for the 2008 Indianapolis prize
.
He has three daughters. His eldest daughter Janet has written an award-winning educational autobiography about her father's Nonsuch project, which has been adopted by the Bermuda Education Ministry as a schoolbook.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, born October 11, 1935, is an ornithologist, naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
. He was born in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
In 1951 he helped Robert Cushman Murphy
Robert Cushman Murphy
Robert Cushman Murphy was an American ornithologist and former Lamont curator of birds for the American Museum of Natural History....
and Louis S. Mowbray re-discover a bird species thought extinct since the 1620s, the Bermuda petrel or Cahow.
This spurred him on to study Zoology at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, returning to take on the challenge of saving the Cahow in 1958. He went on to become the Conservation Officer for the Bermuda Government Parks Department from 1966 to his retirement in 2000.
He was credited with rediscovering the Black-capped Petrel
Black-capped Petrel
The Black-capped Petrel is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. It is also known as the Diablotín. The extinct Jamaica Petrel was a related dark form, often considered a subspecies of this bird.This long-winged petrel has a grey-brown back and wings, with a white nape and rump...
in Haiti in 1963.
His lifelong efforts to bring back the Cahow from near-extinction led him to undertake the holistic restoration of an entire barren island's pre-colonial ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, in a project known as the Nonsuch Island 'Living museum
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
', reintroducing several other species in the process.
He has been honoured with a number of awards. These include the Queen's Honours (UK), the MBE and OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
; King's Honours (Netherlands), Ridder, Order of the Golden Ark; the United Nations' Global 500 Award
Global 500 Roll of Honour
The United Nations Environment Programme established the Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1987 to recognize the environmental achievements of individuals and organizations around the world.The last Global 500 Roll of Honour awards were made in 2003...
and Dr.of Sci. Honoris causa, Clark University, Massachusetts. In 2007 he was nominated for the 2008 Indianapolis prize
Indianapolis Prize
The Indianapolis Prize is an award given every other year to an individual who has made significant strides in conservation efforts involving an animal species or multiple animal species.-The prize:...
.
He has three daughters. His eldest daughter Janet has written an award-winning educational autobiography about her father's Nonsuch project, which has been adopted by the Bermuda Education Ministry as a schoolbook.
External links
- 'Island treasure' a short biography of David Wingate in the Bermudian newspaper The Royal GazetteThe Royal GazetteThe Royal Gazette, founded in 1828, is the only daily newspaper in the island nation of Bermuda. It is published Mondays through Saturdays; there is no Sunday edition....
cf the Indianapolis prize nomination . - 'Assembling Complexity' more on Wingate's holistic restoration methods, from Kevin Kelly's book 'Out of ControlOut of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic WorldOut of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World is a 1994 book by Kevin Kelly. Major themes in Out of Control are cybernetics, emergence, self-organization, complex systems and chaos theory and it can be seen as a work of...
' - 'Strategies for successful biodiversity conservation...' illustrated article by David B. Wingate
- 'Nonsuch Summer' (2005) ISBN 80-902811-1-7 by Janet A. Wingate, is, like the Cahow, only found in Bermuda
- about 'Rare Bird' (2005) Feature film documentary about David Wingate's lifetime achievement by Lucinda Spurling
- sample from Lucinda Spurling's film Rare Bird, on YouTube
- http://www.rarebirdfilm.com Film about David Wingate website
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0823525/ IMDB page on Rare Bird
- 'Bermuda's Treasure Island' and 'Sceilligs and Bermuda - A Last Refuge', (2005) two film documentary versions by Deirdre Brennan and Éamon de BuitléarÉamon de BuitléarÉamon de Buitléar is an Irish writer and film maker. He is managing director of Éamon de Buitléar Ltd., a company which specialises in wildlife filming and television documentaries...
featuring David Wingate's Cahow and Nonsuch Island restoration projects - news release and review - 'Nature's Restoration' (2006) ISBN 1-55963-085-X by Peter Friederici features David Wingate's restoration work
- Citations and Articles
- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081778/2/index.htm#top There Are Problems When Man Plays God, an article on Wingate and the Cahow in Sports Illustrated magazine, November 4th, 1968