Tony Juniper
Tony Juniper (born 24 September 1960) is a British environmental campaigner, author and commentator most recognised for his work as Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2000-2008.[1]
Juniper was the Green Party's parliamentary candidate for the Cambridge constituency at the 2010 general election.[2]
Academic background
Raised in Oxford, Juniper attended Bristol University, taking a joint Honours BSc in psychology and zoology in 1983, followed by a master's degree in conservation from University College, London in 1988 [1]. He is currently a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, based at the University of Cambridge [2]
Parrot Conservation
He has been involved in the efforts to save the Spix's Macaw, one of the most endangered birds in the world. In his book Macaw: The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird he harshly criticized the private holders of the birds such as Antonio de Dios's Birds International; because he believes that the Spix's should be returned to their native country Brazil for captive breeding and reintroduction to their natural habitat, which is still in decline. Many of the private holders of the Spix macaws were not breeding them in captivity. Most of the birds left in captivity are related, but most of these owners refused to trade birds to increase genetic diversity.[3]
Friends of the Earth
Juniper served as Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2000-2008.
UK Climate Change Bill
At Friends of the Earth Juniper oversaw the campaign that ensured the inclusion of a Climate Change Bill in the Queen's Speech 2006 (15 November). This was supported by his successful "Big Ask" Campaign throughout 2005 and 2006, when he worked with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke.[4] Thom Yorke would work with Juniper again for a one-off benefit gig in his constituency of Cambridge, in 2010.
Current activities
Juniper now works in a variety of roles. Amongst others he is a Special Adviser to the Prince of Wales' Rainforest Project and a Senior Associate with the Cambridge University Program for Industry. Juniper sits on a number of advisory panels and continues to speak and write on environmental issues.[1]
He was featured on the 2006 Planet Earth (TV series)'s Planet Earth: The Future.[5].
In January 2009, Juniper was selected as the Green Party's parliamentary candidate in the 2010 general election for the Cambridge constituency. He came 4th with 7.6% of the vote, more than doubling the Green Party percentage.
Publications
- Parrots: A guide to the parrots of the world, Yale University Press/Pica, 1998
- Spix's Macaw: The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird. 2003. UK: Fourth Estate/Atria.
- How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Planet? 95 Ways to Save Planet Earth. 2007. UK: Quercus.
- Saving Planet Earth (companion volume to BBC series with same name), Harper Collins, 2007.
References
- ^ a b Guardian - Tony Juniper profile
- ^ "http://www.greenparty.org.uk/people.html"
- ^ Juniper, Tony. 2003. Spix's Macaw: The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird. Atria: Ch. 10 (pp 201-230).
- ^ Tony Juniper and Friends of the Earth successes (PDF)
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422382/fullcredits#cast
External links
- TonyJuniper.com personal website
- Friends of the Earth
- [3] Cambridge Green Party