Neil Garrick-Maidment, founder and executive director of the Seahorse Trust has been awarded the David Bellamy Award by the British Naturalists’ Association (BNA) at its 2023 Encaenia at London’s Natural History Museum.
Garrick-Maidment was awarded as a ‘field naturalist of distinction’ for his dedication to the study of seahorses spanning more than 40 years. The honour was presented to him during the BNA’s annual awards ceremony by its Honorary President, Roger Tabor, alongside 14 other leading naturalists.
Garrick-Maidment – currently a Visiting Fellow to the faculty of science and technology at Bournemouth University and a Fellow of the BNA – founded the British Seahorse Survey with its associated National Seahorse Database in 1994.
The two entities have since morphed into the World Seahorse Database Survey, the longest-running continuous survey of its kind in the world, now covering more than 50 countries with more than 3,500 recorded sightings logged.
In addition to his research, Garrick-Maidment founded The Seahorse Trust in 1999. Based primarily in Devon, UK, the trust serves as an umbrella organisation for preserving and conserving the natural world, using seahorses as its flagship species.
‘I am so humbled by this award, and I am accepting it on behalf of myself and all the amazing volunteers who have helped over the years,’ said Mr Garrick-Maidment. ‘It is only through research that we can understand these fascinating creatures and uncover the secrets to their survival. We must learn what is needed to protect seahorses and their habitats from harm and create solutions so seahorses and all marine species can thrive.’
The British Naturalists’ Association was founded in 1905 to promote the study of natural history. The David Bellamy Award is given to a Field Naturalist of distinction, named after Professor David Bellamy OBE, who wrote and presented some 400 television programmes on botany, ecology, and environmental issues from the early 1970s to the late 2000s.
For more information on the Seahorse Trust, visit its website at www.theseahorsetrust.org
