
Dr. David B. Wingate
'Dr David Balcombe Wingate
OBE', is an
ornithologist,
naturalist and
conservationist. He was born
October 11,
1935 in
Bermuda.
In 1951 he helped
Robert Cushman Murphy and
Louis S. Mowbray re-discover a bird species thought extinct since the 1620s, the Bermuda petrel or
Cahow.
This spurred him on to study Zoology at
Cornell University, returning to take up the role of Bermuda's Chief Conservation Officer, from which he retired in 2000.
His lifelong efforts to bring back the Cahow from near-extinction led him to undertake the
holistic restoration of an entire barren island's pre-colonial
ecology, in a project known as the
Nonsuch Island '
Living museum', reintroducing several other species in the process.
Previously honoured with the
MBE and other awards, in 2001 he obtained the
OBE for public service.
He has three daughters. His eldest daughter Janet has written an educational autobiography about her father's Nonsuch project, which has been adopted by the Bermuda Education Ministry as a schoolbook.
External links
★ 'Assembling Complexity'
[1] more on Wingate's holistic restoration methods, from
Kevin Kelly's book ''
★ 'Strategies for successful biodiversity conservation...'
[2] illustrated article by David B. Wingate
★ 'Nonsuch Summer' (2005) ISBN 80-902811-1-7 by Janet A. Wingate, is, like the Cahow, only found
in Bermuda
★ about 'Rare Bird'
[3] (2005) Feature film documentary about David Wingate's lifetime achievement by
Lucinda Spurling
★
★
sample from Lucinda Spurling's film Rare Bird, on YouTube
★ 'Bermuda's Treasure Island' and 'Sceilligs and Bermuda - A Last Refuge'
[4] [5] (2005) two film documentary versions by
Deirdre Brennan and
Eamon de Buitlear featuring David Wingate's Cahow and Nonsuch Island restoration projects
★ 'Nature's Restoration' (2006) ISBN 1-55963-085-X by
Peter Friederici features David Wingate's restoration work
★
Citations and Articles