Donald Vincent Merton QSM CF (22 February 1939 – 10 April 2011) was a New Zealand conservationist best known for saving the black robin from extinction.
[3] When Merton began his work as a conservationist, kākāpō were believed to be extinct, but about 20 years into his career a small population was found in a semi-remote national park in mainland New Zealand.
This early success proved crucial 35 years later in inspiring a cross-fostering programme to save the black robin, which at that time numbered five individuals including just one productive pair, and was the most endangered species in the world.
In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public services;[8] the following year he received the Royal Society of New Zealand's Fleming Award for Environmental Achievement; in 1992 the honorary degree of Doctor of Science was conferred on him by Massey University for his contribution to science; in 1994 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK) awarded him its medal for his "international contribution to species survival" and in 1998 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) elected him to its Global 500 Roll of Honour for his "outstanding contributions to the protection and improvement of the environment."
Merton was named one of "100 Great New Zealanders of the 20th Century" in the 60th anniversary issue of the New Zealand Listener;[9] in 2001 the New Zealand Government presented him with a certificate in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer 2001, for his "valued contribution toward assisting developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development"; in 2004, BirdLife International awarded him its Conservation Achievement Award for achievements during his 48-year career in the rescue and recovery of endangered birds within New Zealand and elsewhere; on his retirement from the NZ Department of Conservation in April 2005 the Department granted him Honorary Technical Associate status – the first such recipient; in 2010 the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of NZ presented him with its "Old Blue Award" in recognition of his extraordinary and sustained contributions to conservation in NZ and worldwide"; and in 2011 he became a "Fellow of the Ornithological Society of NZ in recognition of his "lifetime contributions to ornithology and to the work of the Society".