This Black History Month, the RSPB's Sy Joshua looks at Black people's ongoing contributions to nature.
As Black History Month begins, RSPB Senior Race Equity Specialist Sy Joshua argues that conservation hasn't always recorded everyone's contribution. Honouring our communities, which is the theme for this year's Black History Month, involves recognising Black people's contributions to nature.
This article talks about preserving birds, and I know that can feel uncomfortable to people who love them, as so many of us do. Back in the 18th and 19th century, if you wanted to study a bird, compare it with another, name it, identify it, or show it to an ornithologist on the other side of the world, a carefully preserved specimen was probably the only way.
Who taught Charles Darwin how to preserve the birds that helped pave the way for their study and protection?
Have a think.
Most of us were never told. His name was John Edmonstone.
John Edmonstone was born into slavery in 1790 on a timber plantation in Demerara, in what is now Guyana in the Caribbean. John took the surname of the man who enslaved him, and his birth name still remains unknown. On that plantation he learned methods for preserving bird specimens from the naturalist Charles Waterton and went on some of Waterton's collecting expeditions. Through these, he learned the craft we know as taxidermy.
In 1817, as a survivor of enslavement, John came to the UK and settled in Scotland. By 1823, he was already well known in the local naturalist community and had his own shop on Lothian Street in the city centre of Edinburgh, teaching students and selling preserved specimens to the university museum.
In 1826, a teenage medical student came into John’s shop. The student was curious and explained that he would rather be studying nature than medicine and asked John many questions about the different Caribbean birds and other species on display.
The student was Charles Darwin.
The two men struck up a rapport which progressed to Darwin being taught daily by John for over two months on how best to preserve bird specimens for the advancement of science. Years later Darwin recalled his teacher in his autobiography as a pleasant, intelligent man who did excellent work.
Discover the man who taught Darwin taxidermy with the National History Museum.
Five years later in 1831, HMS Beagle sets sail from Plymouth Sound carrying a 22-year-old Charles Darwin as the ship's naturalist.
On the Beagle voyage, Darwin collected almost 500 bird specimens, and today the Natural History Museum still cares for nearly 200 of them.
The museum points out that the Galápagos Mockingbird specimen collected on this voyage began Darwin's thoughts on evolution.
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For many people at the time, the museum was the only chance to see a bird up close. We now understand that knowing what a bird is, how it lives, whether it’s thriving or being driven to extinction, is the first step towards caring for it.
A sentiment that drove Emily Williamson of Didsbury to begin the RSPB later in 1889.
My point is that nature’s teachers and influencers have always been diverse, interconnected, and that includes Black voices, past, present and future collectively acting for nature and science, even when their contributions have not always been recorded or recognised in the same way.
This year's Black History Month theme is Honouring Our Communities. At the RSPB we’re recognising valuable nature contributions we may have overlooked.
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Wangari was a Kenyan environmentalist who founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, encouraging women to plant trees often in areas of conflict.
Millions of trees later in 2004, she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari Maathai's message to the world was clear, protecting and restoring the environment benefits wildlife, but it is also fundamentally humanitarian and peace work.
Christian Cooper has been birding since he was young, once led Harvard's ornithological club, and now hosts the Emmy-winning National Geographic series Extraordinary Birder.
In 2020 a stranger falsely accused him of threatening her while he was birdwatching in New York's Central Park. His response has been to write about birding and to push for safer access to green spaces for all.
David Lindo, known as The Urban Birder, is a broadcaster, writer, speaker, tour leader and educator whose mission is to connect city communities with the natural environment through the medium of birds.
Having grown up in London, David is uniquely placed to champion the importance of making nature accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. He has advised the UK Government, the RSPB, and numerous organisations on diversity and inclusion within the conservation sector.
Nadeem Perera and Ollie Olanipekun from Flock Together came together in 2020 after bonding over a shared love of birds on Instagram. Together they built a birdwatching collective that encourages people of colour to enjoy birds, get outdoors, support one another and improve their wellbeing. It has since grown into a worldwide movement with chapters in New York and Tokyo. Nadeem is also bringing nature and culture together with storytelling through his production studio, Hero Hyena.
Both are RSPB Ambassadors, helping the charity reach more diverse people and inspiring everyone to act for nature.
Read a book. Try The Home Place by J. Drew Lanham, Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper, or Unbowed, Wangari Maathai's memoir.
Read more. Start with the Natural History Museum's story of John Edmonstone, then its Black history at the museum and Hidden figures pages. Also read Historic Environment Scotland's story of John and the missing plaque and the Black History Month Resource Pack 2026 is good for schools and workplaces.
Get involved. Find out about volunteering with the RSPB.
Your ethnic background should not determine your ability to act for nature. We need to be inspiring the next generation of Black conservationists. If you can’t see it, how can you be it.
We know that birds and their habitats are in decline and nature is stronger when everyone is empowered to change the tide.
Senior Race Equity Specialist
