John Finney

Biography

I was brought up on the southern edges of Manchester. The ease of getting into the Peaks by public transport was instrumental in developing my appreciation of things and places ‘wildish’. My scientific research work as a university ‘academic’ resulted in international collaborations that opened to me really wild places in the western US – and not surprisingly led me to join the Sierra Club. The John Muir Trust naturally followed.

My scientific research on complex systems, project management experience as Chief Scientist at a national laboratory, and voluntary sector work in grant giving and influencing public opinion and government, can be put to good use by the John Muir Trust in furthering its objectives.

My scientific background is particularly relevant as the Trust further develops its ideas on biodiversity and climate change-sensitive land management. Also relevant here is my work on UNESCO’s Science Ethics Commission on land use and climate change mitigation.

Concerning wild land protection, I made a successful legal challenge to a Welsh Government planning decision. Consequently, a planning loophole previously being exploited by developers has been closed. I have also been working with a Wildlife Trust in Wales to restore and conserve a rare wild upland meadow.

Member since

2004