Ian Swingland

Who is Ian Swingland?

Professor Ian Swingland founded DICE at the University of Kent in 1989. It is now recognised as one of the first interdisciplinary research and postgraduate training institutes in the world concentrating on biodiversity, communities and sustainable development. While at DICE he served as director and was elected to the first Chair in Conservation Biology in the United Kingdom.

Since 1969 Ian Swingland has worked variously as a staff consultant with bilateral/multilateral agencies and companies in conservation and biodiversity management, and advisor or member of governmental and non-governmental organizations in a number of countries. He has occupied visiting chairs on four continents, developing international partnerships, joint postgraduate programs, and carrying on his research both in evolutionary ecology, biodiversity management and sustainable development. His current conservation activities centre on sustainable conservation, agriculture and resource management particularly public-private sector management of ecosystems and conservation. Throughout his career Ian Swingland has been responsible for policy, planning, and implementation, and particularly in the last three decades for establishing and developing world-class initiatives and organizations.