Colin Hindmarch

Colin and his wife Valerie live in Durham (UK) and with some satisfaction and excusable pride follow the progress of their four surviving children and fourteen grandchildren.

Over the years, he has been involved in protecting historic landscapes (Hindmarch, 1997; Hindmarch et al, 2000; Dierking et al, 2000), integrating major new development into the wider environment, reinvigorating urban and peri-urban landscapes, and restoring land that had been damaged by mining, mineral extraction, and other industrial activities. These include activities related to intensive land management and counterproductive conservation practices (Hindmarch & Pienkowski, 2000).

His long-standing concerns about the fundamental causes of ecosystem change and its downstream socioeconomic impacts have driven his involvement in a range of initiatives and activities. These have included arguing the case for integrating ecological concerns into the heart of economic planning (Hindmarch et al, 2006) and championing the need to reform the European agricultural policy (Hindmarch & Pienkowski, 2000; Hindmarch & Angeli, 2011). They have also helped to elucidate the role of wildlife corridors in ecological connectivity (Hindmarch & Kirby, 2002) and highlighted the vulnerability of tropical and sub-tropical island habitats and their unique biotic resources (Hindmarch, 2007; Bang et all, 2013).

Colin has supported these efforts by informing the development of environmental policy at the local, national (UK) and European levels and by securing its delivery and defence through advocacy, negotiation, and as an expert witness, presenting evidence at more than fifty UK planning inquiries.

As a means of activating support and influencing policy and process, he has chaired the Environment committee of the Institute of Biology (UK) (Society of Biology), served as a long-standing member of the British Ecological Society’s Public Policy Committee, represented non-government organizations on a range of European Commission committees, including the Advisory Committee on Agriculture and the Environment and the EU Biodiversity Expert Group that helped to inform the development of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.

Importantly, his practical involvement in several European Research programs such as NetBiome, NetBiome CSA and PACE-Net and his role as an evaluator of many EU research submissions have strengthened his understanding of the ongoing socioeconomic and environmental issues that threaten ecosystem stability, compromise food security, and heighten epidemiological risk.

Publications

Bang S., Ruecker G., Hindmarch C., Raharivelomanana P., Tamanikiaiyaroi V., Gowae GY. and Goulding C. (2013): “Climate change, agriculture and forestry in the Pacific”, PACE-NET Policy Brief # 2.

Hindmarch, C & Angeli, D. (2011): Reforming Common Agriculture Policy. Biologist, Vol58 No 3, p 19 – 21.

Hindmarch, C. (2007): Biodiversity on the far-flung outposts of Europe. Biologist, Vol. 54 Number 2, May 2007.

Hindmarch, C., Harris, J., Morris, J (2006): Growth and sustainability: integrating ecosystem services into economics.  Biologist, Vol. 53 Number 3, June 2006, p135-142.

Hindmarch, C. & Kirby, J. (2002): Corridors for birds within a Pan-European Ecological Network. Nature and Environment series No. 123. ISBN 92-871-4907-6, Council of Europe Publishing.

Dierking, U., Drews, D., Hindmarch, C., Roos, T., Wiebe, C. (2000): Ancient pastoral systems as models for large-scale habitat restoration. La Cañada, 12, (Summer 2000): p, 11-13, ISSN 1027-2070.

Hindmarch, C. & Pienkowski, M. (2000): Land management: The hidden costs. British Ecological Society ISBN 0632056525 Blackwell Science, Oxford.

Hindmarch, C. (1997): A landscape approach to the identification and mapping of pasture woodland in Hampshire (UK). 305-308. In A. Cooper & J. Power (eds.) Species Dispersal.