William Archibald Macfadyen (1893–1985): the ‘father of geoconservation’?

Abstract

The profile of geoconservation is now higher than ever before with a significant number of people employed worldwide within geoconservation or having an element of it included within their role. Sixty years ago, employment within geoconservation, and even geoconservation itself, were largely unheard of. In 1950, an experienced geologist in his late 50s, William Archibald Macfadyen, ‘Macfadyen’ or ‘Mac’ to his colleagues, became the first full-time professional geoconservationist. After serving in two World Wars and enjoying a long career working as a geologist and hydrogeologist in the Middle East and Africa, he was employed by the newly created government conservation agency in Great Britain, the Nature Conservancy. His role was to help implement new national nature conservation legislation that included the conservation of geological and geomorphological features. Between 1950 and 1960, Macfadyen pioneered geoconservation, working to interpret and implement the new legislation to protect a series of geological and geomorphological sites across Great Britain. Working largely alone he visited, and scheduled for protection, a series of well over 600 sites, developed records to support their conservation, addressed practical conservation issues relating to site damage and enhancement, established a geological advisory committee to support his work, published an account of some of the sites protected and successfully applied his geological expertise to wider issues relating to wildlife conservation. He undoubtedly built the foundations of geoconservation in Great Britain, and in doing so influenced its development worldwide. It is argued here that Macfadyen is worthy of recognition as the ‘father of geoconservation’.