Dr Adam Watson. Photo: Derek Pyper/Adam Watson collection
A veteran mountaineer and expert on the Cairngorms will be honoured by outdoor writers and photographers for his work.
Dr Adam Watson will receive the Golden Eagle Award from the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild at a ceremony in Aberdeen next month.
Dr Watson has devoted his life to the study and protection of the Cairngorms.
Previous award winners include writer and broadcaster Bill Bryson, naturalist Sir David Attenborough, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and prominent access campaigner Marion Shoard.
The annual award is made to a person deemed to have ‘rendered distinguished or meritorious service to the outdoors generally. The recipient is determined by a vote across the entire guild membership.
Dr Watson, who was born in 1930, is a biologist, ecologist and mountaineer. The guild said his contribution to the understanding of the flora and fauna of his native Scotland is probably unparalleled.
An OWPG spokesperson said: “He is perhaps most widely recognised as the pre-eminent authority on the Cairngorm range.
“His vast academic and written output includes 23 books, including the definitive mountaineering guide published by the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, The Cairngorms, almost 300 scientific papers and nearly 200 technical reports.
“Adam was an advisor to the John Muir Trust and has served on both the Countryside Commission for Scotland and the Cairngorms Partnership, and has campaigned tirelessly for the conservation of the Cairngorm range.
“He was editor of the Scottish Naturalist from 1956 to 1964 and has served on various editorial boards.
“His many awards and honours include the John Muir Trust’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Medal of the RSPB, and he is an honorary member of World Wide Fund for Nature UK in recognition of a lifetime’s work in protecting the Cairngorms.”
The award takes the form of a painting of Luibeg Burn in the Cairngorms, by OWPG member and landscape artist David Bellamy.
In 2012 Dr Watson received the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture. The award is made to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Scotland’s mountains.
The Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild represents professional journalists, writers, photographers and others who specialise in covering sustainable outdoor activities and the environment in the British media.
