Introducing our new CEO

The first time I visited Bass Rock I was awestruck.

We’ve all grown used to the idea that you need to travel to see a true wildlife spectacle. To Africa for a safari perhaps, or to Australia to see the Great Barrier Reef. Yet seeing the Bass Rock Gannet colony at the height of the breeding season is a genuine wildlife spectacle. It’s a huge, chaotic and almost overwhelming scene, with fascinating behavior and natural beauty everywhere you look.

The second time I took the Scottish Seabird Centre boat to Bass Rock it was the day after my wedding. We brought the wedding party with us. Many had travelled far to join us, and we wanted to share this incredible experience with them and give them a special memory of Scotland. We weren’t disappointed, and neither were they. No one can be left unmoved by witnessing a wildlife spectacle. It touches the soul - and just as satisfying as enjoying it yourself is seeing others be inspired by nature.

(c) Rob McDougall

Inspiring people young and old to enjoy and value nature is something that the Scottish Seabird Centre excels at. The Centre is a unique asset for the local community in North Berwick and for Scotland as a whole. With over 175,000 visitors every year, in addition to the many outreach and public engagement programmes we run here, it is connecting people and communities to nature at scale.

This mission could not be more urgent.

Our natural environment here in Scotland and the rest of the UK is heavily degraded; centuries of over-exploitation of our natural environment has driven species to extinction and habitats have been destroyed at a terrifying pace. Urgent and determined action is needed by all of us – government, business and people – if we are to reverse these declines, restore our natural environment and secure the future of Scotland’s wildlife.

Building connections to nature and inspiring an interest in the natural world is essential if we are to make these changes. That’s why I am looking forward to continuing to build the Scottish Seabird Centre’s education and public engagement work - so that we inspire a love of the natural world in even more people, and help give them skills they need to do more for nature in their lives.

(c) Emily Burton, Greg Macvean, Helen Pugh

Just as important is the conservation and nature restoration work that the Scottish Seabird Centre is taking forward. In the short time that I have been in this role I have been profoundly impressed by the work already underway here. For example, SOS Puffin, which, with the help of 1500 volunteers, has reversed the declines in puffins nesting on Craigleith, and is a fantastic example of community-led nature restoration. More recently, the Centre has become a partner in Restoration Forth, working to re-establish lost habitats in the Firth of Forth. Projects like these are essential if we are to not just stop the declines, but rebuild a healthy, thriving natural environment.

All of this critical work is only possible because of the many supporters of the Scottish Seabird Centre who donate their time and money to help make it happen. To save more seabirds. To restore more of our natural environment. And to inspire and educate more people.

Later this year we will be celebrating 25 years since we first opened the doors of the Scottish Seabird Centre. We will be sharing more about how you can get involved soon. In the meantime, thank you for everything you do for the Scottish Seabird Centre and our wonderful natural environment.