Awards
Don was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1973 to study management of endangered species in the USA and Europe. He was the international chairperson of IUCN/Birdlife International’s Parrot Specialist Group from 1983 to 1986. In 1989 he was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for services to New Zealand; in the following year he received the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Fleming Award for Environmental Achievement; in 1992 the honorary degree of Doctor of Science was conferred on him by Massey University for his contribution to science; in 1994 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK) awarded him its medal for his “international contribution to species survival” and in 1998 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) elected him to its Global 500 Roll of Honour for his “outstanding contributions to the protection and improvement of the environment.” Don was named one of “100 Great New Zealanders of the 20th Century” in the 60th anniversary issue of the New Zealand Listener; in 2001 the New Zealand Government presented him with a certificate in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer 2001, for his “valued contribution toward assisting developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development”; in 2004, BirdLife International awarded him its Conservation Achievement Award for achievements during his 48 year career in the rescue and recovery of endangered birds within New Zealand and elsewhere; on his retirement from the NZ Department of Conservation in April 2005 the Department granted him Honorary Technical Associate status – the first such recipient; in 2010 the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of NZ presented him with its “Old Blue Award” in recognition of his extraordinary and sustained contributions to conservation in NZ and worldwide”; and in 2011 he became a “Fellow of the Ornithological Society of NZ in recognition of his “lifetime contributions to ornithology and to the work of the Society”.
As well as being the recipient of numerous awards the The Don Merton Conservation Pioneer Award is named after him.
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