Jean Balfour (née Drew, born 4 November 1927) is a Scottish professional

forester A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...

, landowner and conservationist.

Early life and education

Balfour was born on 4 November 1927 to Major General James Syme Drew and his wife Victoria. She earned her B.S. with honours from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1949. She married John Charles Balfour in 1950.

Career and research

Balfour is a partner/owner of Balbirnie Home Farms and Balbirnie Dairy Farm. The

Scourie Scourie ( gd, Sgobhairigh), historically spelled "Scoury", is a village on the north west coast of Scotland, about halfway between Ullapool and Durness. The name comes from the Gaelic word Sheiling or shed, a stone-built place of shelter used dur ...

estate is also owned by her. Balfour is interested in arctic-alpine vegetation and has taken part in many botanical expeditions including

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

, Ellsemere Island, Spitzbergen, Franz Joseph Land, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and arctic

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

to collect field data. Her data has been used in collaboration with other professors on papers involving population dynamics and the impact of changing climate conditions. In 1984 she wrote ''A New Look at the Northern Ireland Countryside (1984)'' which listed many recommendations for restructuring legislation regarding nature conservation and countryside management. Many of her suggestions were taken into consideration and implemented. She was the Chair of

Countryside Commission for Scotland The Countryside Commission for Scotland was a statutory body in Scotland that was established by the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967. Its role was to provide, develop and improve facilities for the enjoyment of the Scottish countryside, and to con ...

from 1972 to 1982. During the years 1983–1985 she worked at Chieftain Industries. From 1999 to 2008, she was the Chair at Loch Duart, an independent salmon farm and the largest local employer. She helped publish ''The Rising Tide'' regarding women in traditionally male-dominated fields.

Public appointments

* Governor of East Scotland College of Agriculture for 30 years * Member Scottish Agriculture Development Council 1972–1977 *

Nature Conservancy Council The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 (it did not cover Norther ...

1973–1980 * Vice-Chairman

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well over 35,000 members. The Scottish Wildlife Trust acquired its first ...

1968–1972 * West Sutherland Fisheries Trust 1996– * Chairman Seafish Industry Authority * Deputy Chair of Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology (1993–1994)

Awards

* Commander of

Order of British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

1981 * Order of Falcon (1994) (Iceland) * Institute of Chartered Foresters Medal (1996) * Honorary Doctorates from University of St Andrews and

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

* Fellow Institute of Chartered Foresters, Royal Society of Arts, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Zoological Society for Scotland,

Institute of Biology The Institute of Biology (IoB) was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societie ...

, Royal Science Geographical Society

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, Jean 1927 births Living people Scottish landowners Scottish foresters Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Women in forestry