Dusty Gedge – urban ecologist

Dusty started birdwatching when he fell out of his baby chair in pursuit of a robin aged 18 months. In his early teens in Kent he was actively involved in seabird, woodland, winter and farmland bird surveys for the Kent Ornithological Society and other conservation organisations.

He decided against doing a degree in ecology and studied theatre instead, becoming a professional street entertainer, circus performer and actor, but always keeping his interest in nature. He also modelled as a punk for postcards in the late 1980s.

Whilst teaching circus skills to disaffected children in Deptford he was asked to undertake a detailed bird survey of the area. Through this work he became the lead for London Biodiversity Partnership's black redstart action plan. The work on buildings and improving them for biodiversity led to an interest in what is known as green roof and green wall technology.

He has travelled all over the world doing research on how to green-up our cities and buildings. He has campaigned for the whole-scale adoption of green roofs in major developments in London and elsewhere in the UK.

In 2004, he co-founded the Living Roofs charity that educates and advises on green roof development. Green roofs are literally roofs that are planted up with vegetation.

Dusty now works as an advisor and consultant on urban nature conservation to various UK bodies. He is a consultant for a green roof consultancy and is a professional ecologist-cum-ornithologist, specialising in brownfields ecology. Brownfield sites are post-industrial landscapes which most people think of as pretty poor for wildlife, but they represent some of our most important habitats for rare bugs.

Dusty lives in London, has a son Louis aged 11, supports the Arsenal and is happiest out birdwatching in the east Kent marshes.

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