New Zealand marine biologist and conversationist
William James Ballantine QSO MBE (15 April 1937 – 1 November 2015) was a British-born New Zealand marine biologist. He has been called the "father of marine conservation in New Zealand".
Biography
Born in Leicester, England, on 15 April 1937,[citation needed] Ballantine was awarded an MA from Downing College, Cambridge and a PhD from Queen Mary College, University of London. His thesis was entitled The population dynamics of Patella vulgata and other limpets.[1] He emigrated to New Zealand in 1964 when he was appointed the inaugural director of the University of Auckland's Leigh Marine Laboratory.[2] The Marine Reserves Act 1971 was the brainchild of Ballantine, and he initiated a "no take" marine reserve at Leigh. Both of these initiatives were one of the first to be initiated in the world.[3] Minister of Conservation Nick Smith described him as the "father of marine conservation in New Zealand.[4]
Ballantine died at Auckland City Hospital on 1 November 2015; his wife Dulcie had predeceased him.[5]
Honours and awards
In 1990 Ballantine was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[6] In the 1994 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to marine biology and conservation.[7] He was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1996, for his work on marine conservation and with New Zealand's Marine Reserve Act.[8] In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, Ballantine was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for public services.[9]
References