My friend and former colleague Mike Alexander, who has died aged 77, made a huge contribution to nature conservation in Wales and beyond.
After a decade as a warden on Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast, Mike joined the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) in 1986 as warden for the South Meirionnydd reserves in north Wales. Frustrated by what he saw as the lack of rigour in nature reserve management, he was pivotal in developing a computerised system for managing the special features of reserves, at a time when computers were viewed with suspicion by colleagues in the field.
Working with an NCC co-worker, James Perrins, he developed the Countryside Management computer system, now widely used by conservation organisations globally. He also went on to assume overall responsibility for all the national nature reserves in Wales. His book, Management Planning for Nature Conservation: A Theoretical Basis & Practical Guide (2008), is a standard text on the subject.
Mike was born in Neath, south Wales, to Rhys, a civil engineer, and Mary (nee Parsons), a secretary, but grew up in various places around mid and south Wales, moving several times due to his father’s job. When he was 13 at Gwendraeth Valley grammar school in Carmarthenshire, a teacher, planning a private visit one weekend to Skomer, asked if anyone would like to join. Mike, fascinated by the prospect of a boat journey, went along, and the day changed his life. He decided instantly that one day he would be warden of the island.
He left home at 16 to become a crew member on the ferry to Skomer, also volunteering on the island as an assistant to the main warden. The following year, in 1966, he became assistant warden on the neighbouring island of Skokholm, then, in 1967, warden of the Calf of Man bird observatory off the Isle of Man.
Briefly leaving the UK in 1968 to become warden of the Long Point bird observatory in Ontario, Canada, he returned a year later as a field assistant in the oil pollution research unit at Orielton Field Centre in Pembrokeshire, studying the effects of oil on vegetation.
In 1973 he enrolled full-time at Dyfed College of Art, studying fine art sculpture, before returning to conservation in 1976 with his dream job as warden on Skomer, which was where I met him. When the Skomer post was advertised, it included the condition that the warden must be married, and at the interview Mike was told he could start in 10 days’ time provided he had tied the knot by then. He and his girlfriend, Rosanne Daniel, whom he had met at art college, underwent the formalities in haste and crossed over to the island straight afterwards.
In addition to his work with NCC, Mike spent 16 years (2005-21) as chair of Pori Natur a Threftdaeth, a charity designed to build bridges between nature conservation advocates and farmers. After retirement at 72, he chaired the Wildlife Trust for South and West Wales from 2021 until 2024.
A background in art and nature merged in Mike’s skill as a photographer. His pictures graced many publications, including his book Skomer Island: Its History and Natural History (2021). He was also a producer of exquisite wood carvings.
He is survived by Rosanne and his siblings, Jeff, Anne and Tina.
