My Fellowship in 1975 was for coastal conservation and enabled me to compare European and American coastal issues from Denmark to Bordeaux and New York to North Carolina. Since then I have worked continuously on coastal issues.

From 1975 to 1994, working through the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), I assisted with surveys and promotional work to create the Great Arctic Reserve in Russia and the Nordfriesland Wattenmeer National Park, Germany.

With partners in Germany, and especially the Netherlands, an interactive colour-marking database for Brent geese was developed which now has well over a quarter of a million records.

Throughout that time and to date, my work has also focused on the management and future of low-lying defended coasts in East Anglia, particularly in Essex, where a whole mix of problems – from recreational pressures via cost-benefit limitations, to environmental considerations and human needs – create some pretty intractable scenarios with challenging long-term outlooks.

Creating an awareness, developing functioning partnerships and managing long-term solutions for those affected will remain challenging.

I also farm with land in SSSIs and the High Level Stewardship programme.