Commissioners

Dr Andrew Barbour
Andrew has worked in various land use sectors including deer management for over 20 years. Based in Highland Perthshire, he is Rural Advisor for Atholl Estates. His own family own the neighbouring Bonskeid Estate where he also runs a farming business with his wife.

The Earl of Dalhousie
James, Earl of Dalhousie is a landowner in Angus. He is a past President of The British Deer Society, Chairman of East Grampian Deer Management Group and Scottish Woodlands Limited and Vice-Chairman of The Game Conservancy Trust.

Andrew Hamilton
Andrew is a rural practice Chartered Surveyor and a partner with land and estate agency firm Strutt & Parker, based in the Highlands of Scotland. He is the managing agent for a number of sporting and agricultural estates with specialist interests in rural land management, agricultural holdings, nature conservation, land reform and crofting matters. He has represented clients on several Deer Management Groups. He is an agricultural arbiter and a member of the Scottish Ministers' Panel of Arbiters. He is the former Chairman of the Rural Practice Faculty of the RICS, Chairman of the RICS Working Groups on Land Reform and Agricultural Holdings, and represents the RICS on the Tenant Farming Forum. He was Chairman of St. Cyrus Community Council from 2003 - 2007. He is a member of the National Trust for Scotland's Countryside and Nature Conservation Advisory Panel, the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association Highland Regional Committee and lectures at Aberdeen University in countryside law and estate management.

Dr Peter Mayhew
Peter has over 20 years experience of conservation land management. He is currently Senior Conservation Manager with RSPB in north Scotland, with responsibility for over 40,000 ha of land managed by RSPB in the Highlands and Western Isles. Before this, he was Head of Conservation with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. He is chair of the Capercaillie Biodiversity Action Plan steering group.

Prof John Milne MBE (Chairman)
John lives in Aberlour in Moray.  He was a member of the DCS from 1999 – 2004 and was Deputy Director of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute until March 2004, having worked for the Hill Farming Research Organisation from 1970 – 86.  John has specialised in research into the grazing behaviour of cattle, sheep and other herbivores, including red deer, and their effects on hill vegetation, especially heather and  has published widely on these subjects. He is involved in a range of scientific societies and bodies, as a Member of Deer Management Groups from 1996 – 99; President of the British Society of Animal Science in 2001 – 02 and is currently Chairman of the Steering Group of the North East of Scotland Biological Records Centre.  He edits a scientific journal, Grass and Forage Science.

Prof Josephine Pemberton
Josephine is a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She conducts research into the ecology and evolution of ruminants, which includes studies on red deer on the island of Rum and on hybridisation between red and sika deer in Scotland.

Simon Pepper
Simon was head of WWF Scotland for 20 years, working to secure improved policies on natural resource use issues in Scotland. He has served on official advisory committees addressing environmental issues in forestry, aquaculture, farming and sustainable development and completed a six year appointment to the National Committee of Forestry Commission Scotland in 2009. He has been closely involved in the development of policy and legislation on wild deer management for two decades. He keeps a breeding flock of blackface sheep on a smallholding in Highland Perthshire.

Niall Rowantree
Niall has 28 years experience in deer management having worked as a professional stalker in the open range, in the western and central highlands. He spent 6 years as a deer management adviser/contractor for private estates and various government agencies and 9 years with the Forestry Commission for Scotland reaching the grade of Chief Ranger for Cowal and Trossachs before returning to the private sector. He has also been involved in deer management in England and various locations in Europe and has a particular interest in the sustainable management of deer and in implementation of best practice. Currently, he is the Sporting Manager for Ardnamurchan Estate, Argyll and consults widely on sporting development and adding value to deer and venison. Niall is Chairman of LANTRA Game and Wildlife Industry group and is a strong supporter of developing and promoting training and employer involvement in apprenticeships.

Dr Colin Shedden
Colin is currently the Scottish Director for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and has worked for sporting shooting interests for 25 years, in Scotland and in Europe. This includes a three year period of research on deer management in Scotland for BASC and SNH. He currently sits on Scotland's Moorland Forum, the National Access Forum, SNH's Scientific Advisory Committee and the National Goose Management Review Group, as well as being a Heather Trust board member.

Advisors

Sir Michael Strang Steel Bt CBE
. Michael lives near Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders where he has farming and forestry interests. He was a Forestry Commissioner from 1988-1999 and Chairman of the Native Woodlands Advisory Panel during this time. He is Chairman of the Southern Upland Partnership and Chairman of the RSFS Trust Co. responsible for Cashel forest.

Prof Susan Walker OBE
Sue Walker lives in Braemar in Aberdeenshire and has particular interests in integrated land and water management.  She has worked in environmental management for around thirty years. She has held a number of non executive positions in the public sector in Scotland over the last ten years and is currently a Board Member of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Cairngorms National Park Authority. She is a member of the NE Panel of Waterwatch Scotland and is a Local Adviser to the Grampian Area of Scottish Natural Heritage.