He has previously been a trustee of WWF UK[1] and head of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and was the last chair of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.
[7] In October 1999, he was appointed the Chief Executive of NERC, retaining an honorary professorship at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.
Following his retirement from NERC in March 2005, he was appointed Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environment Pollution from 1 April 2005,[8] and was reappointed for a second three-year term in 2008.
His interests have focused on the population dynamics and biodiversity of birds and insects, with emphasis over the last decade on the impacts of global environmental change on wild plants and animals.
[citation needed] He has made major contributions to environmental NGOs, including a five-year period as Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and a trustee of WWF-UK.