NBN Award winners 2020 announced

NBN Award winners 2020 announced - National Biodiversity Network

Xander Johnston – winner of the NBN Young Person’s Award 2020

The winners and runners up of the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2020 were announced at an online ceremony on Wednesday 18 November 2020.

These national Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions adults and young people are making to wildlife recording and data sharing, which is helping to improve our understanding of the UK’s biodiversity.

There are five Award categories:
• NBN Young Person’s Award (open to individuals aged 11-20)
• NBN Newcomer Award (open to individuals 21 years +)
• NBN Award for wildlife recording – Marine (open to individuals 21 years +)
• NBN Award for wildlife recording – Terrestrial (open to individuals 21 years +)
• NBN Group Award (no age restrictions)

NBN Young Person’s Award 2020

Xander Johnston, (age 14, from Aviemore, Scotland) is the winner of the NBN Young Person’s Award 2020.

He was one of the Youth Ambassadors involved in the 2019 State of Nature report. Xander’s enthusiasm for nature is infectious and his presentation skills match those of a seasoned professional nature presenter.

Xander uses his own YouTube channel to promote the importance of insects as well as educating viewers on ‘how to rewild your garden’ or ‘how to make an insect hotel’.

Over the past three years, Xander has recorded over 800 hours of volunteering, surveying, and recording for a number of different projects and he has identified many new sites for rare insects.

Xander Johnston, winner of the NBN Young Person’s Award 2020, says: “Biological surveying and recording has been such a large part of my life since moving to the Scottish highlands 6 years ago. Specialising in insects, which I believe to be the foundation of the whole ecosystem, I believe that my surveying and recording is my way of contributing towards scientists restoring the natural world. It is also really exciting when I manage to find some of the more rare species which I survey for, which most people don’t ever get the opportunity to experience. Finally, to top it all off, being outdoors is not only great for my physical health but also my mental health!”