Naturalist who helped protect bog awarded medal

Prof Alastair Fitter said Askham Bog was the oldest nature reserve in Yorkshire

A naturalist who helped to prevent a housing development being built next to an ancient peat bog has been awarded a prestigious nature medal, 26 years after his father received the same honour.

Prof Alastair Fitter, an ecology specialist at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT), played a key role in a successful bid to stop more than 500 homes being built next to Askham Bog in York in 2020.

The campaign was supported by Sir David Attenborough.

Prof Fitter received the Cadbury Medal from The Wildlife Trusts in recognition of 50 years of service and said: "It's a great honour to get this but the real thing is celebrating an astonishing place, which is a jewel."

The bog was the first nature reserve opened by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Prof Fitter described Askham bog - a 120-acre site that was created by a retreating glacier 15,000 years ago - as "one of the richest places for wildlife in the country".

"It's inside the ring road and just two miles from York Minster. But it nearly didn't survive because of the proposed housing development," he said.

"We need houses, but where you put them matters.

"I mean the clue's in the name. It's a bog, it likes to be wet and houses on the whole, well it's better if they're not."

The scheme was rejected by planning inspectors in 2020 following an inquiry.

Speaking about the award, Prof Fitter said: "My name is on the medal but there are lots and lots of people behind it.

"Anything I've ever done has been in a team. I'm not sure I have ever done anything particularly remarkable, but if we work together, remarkable things happen."

Prof Fitter's father, Richard Fitter, was awarded the Cadbury Medal in 1998 for his support of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire wildlife trusts.

He was also known for his 50-year study into the flowering times of plants.

"My father's pocket guides are one reason that so many people can access and understand nature," Prof Fitter said.

His father's enthusiasm for the natural world had played a large part in his own success, he added.

Rachael Bice, chief executive of YWT, praised Prof Fitter's "dedication to conservation".

"He helped us discover and nurture long-lost species at Askham Bog and beyond, advised on our ambitions for nature's recovery and has been a hardworking and deeply respected voice and advocate for nature," she said.

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