Professor Des Thompson is Principal Adviser on Science and Biodiversity with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Des works closely with government, and leads on key policy and science matters relating to nature. Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group advising the UN Convention on Migratory Species on the conservation of migratory birds of prey in Eurasia and Africa, Des has specialist interests in birds and the uplands, and has published 15 books and more than 200 papers. An Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology, Chairman of the Field Studies Council (the UK’s leading provider of outdoor environmental education), he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.