New Year Honours for British Antarctic Survey scientist
Our congratulations go to Dr Phil Trathan who has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Southern Ocean science and conservation.
Dr Trathan is the Head of Conservation Biology at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and a Scientific Adviser to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). His research focuses on biology, ecology and management of marine ecosystems in the Antarctic. He is particularly interested in how seabirds utilize their available habitat and how this relates to their reproductive output and performance.
His work includes advising CCAMLR on the designation of the South Orkney Islands southern shelf Marine Protected Area, the first MPA anywhere in the world in areas outside of national jurisdiction and providing scientific advice to the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, leading to the designation of the SGSSI sustainably managed Marine Protected Area. In addition, he is the founding Chair of the Science Advisory Group of the Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund, a collaboration between the fishing industry, NGOs and scientists.