Deborah Tann, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, has received an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours List.
The award, which is for services to wildlife and the natural environment, recognises Debbie’s remarkable achievements during a 30-year career which has been dedicated to nature conservation. Debbie’s accolade is also a reflection on the successes she has enjoyed during her 25 years at the Trust, having overseen significant growth and impact in her 15 years as Chief Executive.
David Jordan OBE, Chairman of the Trust, said: “I’m delighted that Debbie has been awarded an MBE in recognition of her outstanding work to promote the conservation and restoration of wildlife in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. At a time when nature faces greater threats than any other time in history, Debbie’s leadership and achievements are a beacon of hope and an inspiration which is delivering real and lasting change.”
Debbie said: “I am beyond grateful for this wonderful award which reflects just what a brilliant team of staff, trustees, volunteers, members and supporters I have at the Trust. My lifelong passion for nature drives my determination to do all I can to protect wildlife and restore it to health. Sadly, the UK has become one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and our biodiversity is in serious trouble, but through the incredible work of my dedicated and passionate team we are helping wildlife to bounce back across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
Having graduated with a first-class BSc degree in Environmental Science and then receiving a distinction for her Conservation Masters degree from University College London, Debbie began her career as an ecologist specialising in freshwater habitats, ponds and rivers.
She worked in a variety of roles within the Wildlife Trusts, including Biodiversity Officer, Head of Conservation and Deputy CEO, before being appointed Chief Executive at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) in 2008.
During her tenure, Debbie has overseen substantial growth, and the Trust is now one of the largest Wildlife Trusts in the UK with a turnover of £10million, 150 staff and more than 28,000 members.
The Trust now manages 5,000 hectares of land across the two counties which provides not only incredible wildlife habitat but vital ecosystem services to support the local economy and people, and is an increasingly influential voice for wildlife, not only impacting policy but also working with a wide range of partners to restore the natural world.
Sir Charles Burrell of the Knepp Estate, England’s most famous rewilding project, said: “Debbie Tann has been working tirelessly for nature for many years, and being recognised in this way goes some way to thanking her for all of her energy and vision in what can be a very challenging environment. Under her leadership, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust was one of the first to embrace rewilding as part of their ambitious and exciting strategy, Wilder 2030, and I was very pleased to support their launch event back in 2019.”
Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “On behalf of everyone across The Wildlife Trusts, I’d like to offer my warm congratulations to Debbie Tann on being awarded an MBE, which is very well deserved. Debbie is a leading light in UK nature recovery who constantly shows innovation, drive, and dedication for positive change. She is at the forefront of expanding and improving wilder areas in density populated areas, and many of her ideas have been taken up by other organisations and landowners across the country. Debbie’s leadership has been instrumental in Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s pioneering work to restore natural processes, which is crucial for helping nature adapt to climate change. She has an incredible vision for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – one in which farming supports nature recovery, wildlife tourism benefits communities, and people enjoy easy access to green space where they live and work.”
Alongside her day job, Debbie has served on a number of Committees, Boards and advisory groups over the past 25 years. In 2010/11, Debbie was seconded into DEFRA for 11 months to help write the Natural Environment White Paper which put into Government policy the ground-breaking recommendations of the Lawton Report, ‘Making Space for Nature’. Subsequently, she served for two years as the LNP representative on the DEFRA Local Delivery Group. She was appointed to the South East Committee for the Heritage Lottery Fund where she was the key expert advising on grants for natural heritage over a six-year period, and she was a founding member of the Wessex Rivers Trust. Until recently, Debbie was a Trustee of the Freshwater Habitats Trust, and a Director of South West Wildlife Fundraising Ltd, and she is currently one of the Directors of Arcadian Ecology and Consulting Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary company of HIWWT. She is also a Board Member of BiffaAward which funds biodiversity and community projects across the UK.
Debbie added: “Working in nature conservation can feel like an uphill struggle sometimes, as we strive to protect wildlife from the impacts of development, intensive land use, pollution, recreational pressure and climate change. But thanks to the generous and loyal support of our members, funders and partners, we are delivering ambitious rewilding and nature restoration projects, and embracing innovations like nature-based solutions, to help wildlife recover and thrive on our nature reserves and beyond. This award has made me so happy and proud of everything that we have achieved together over the years, and I am thrilled to receive such recognition.”
Some of Debbie’s proudest achievements during her time at the Trust include negotiating an agreement with the MOD to bring 1,400 hectares of internationally important heathland (SPA) into positive conservation management, overseeing major river and wetland restoration projects on the River Itchen, acquiring several new nature reserves including Fishlake Meadows and Newchurch Moors, establishing the Trust’s first rewilding sites – Wilder Little Duxmore and Wilder Nunwell on the Isle of Wight, setting up the local Rewilding Network, standing up for wildlife against damaging developments, and leading the way in making nutrient neutrality work for nature recovery.
