Amphibians & Reptiles

Trevor Beebee's interest in amphibians was triggered, at age 11, by a chance visit to a pond near his home on the outskirts of Manchester. Two years later he moved to Surrey and encountered reptiles on the surrounding heath; so the scene was set of a lifetime of fascination with all the British species. Trevor subsequently obtained a degree in Biological Sciences at The University of East Anglia, followed by a PhD in biochemistry at the University of Sussex, before taking up a lectureship at Sussex and in 2003 becoming professor of molecular ecology there. Over the years he pursued a combined interest in research and conservation, mostly concerning amphibians (especially natterjack toads) but also with some work on reptiles. In the latter period Trevor became especially concerned about genetic aspects of conservation and the risks of population isolation and inbreeding depression. He has published over 150 scientific papers, more than 30 articles and several books on amphibians and reptiles including The Natterjack Toad, Frogs and Toads, Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians and, with Richard Griffiths, the most recent New Naturalist volume (Amphibians and Reptiles) on these intriguing animals. He has a longstanding connection (since 1960) with the British Herpetological Society and served at various times as editor of its scientific journal, its chairman and its president. Trevor has been a trustee of the charity Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (previously called the Herpetological Conservation Trust) since its inception in 1989 and was awarded the Peter Scott Memorial Award by the British Naturalists' Association in 2009 for contributions to amphibian conservation. He retired to live in Somerset in 2012.