Sir Peter Markham Scott was a naturalist, conservationist, artist and author whose abiding passion was wildlife. He travelled the world painting rare birds, then later founded the Severn Wildfowl Trust (now the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust), and co-founded the World Wildlife Fund (now the World Wide Fund for Nature). Described as the 'father of conservation', he led a campaign for endangered wildlife that captured the imagination of a generation and inspired many to care about the environment long before it was fashionable to do so.

Scott was born in London, the only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott and sculptor Kathleen Bruce. He was only two years old when his father died. Robert Scott, in a ...