Birds are indicators of the health of the environment. What’s good for birds, is good for all other biodiversity.
South Africa is home to an extraordinary diversity of birds from African Penguins along our coasts to albatrosses and petrels in the Southern Ocean, European Rollers and vultures in the skies, Botha’s Lark, Blue Cranes and many other unique species in our grasslands, wetlands, forests, and deserts.
They face many serious threats, including habitat loss, deliberate persecution, environmental degradation, climate change, and other pressures. With staff across the country, we tackle these challenges through scientifically grounded projects, working with partners, landowners, communities, and government to create practical solutions that benefit both nature and people.
We are a registered non-profit and public benefit organisation, and the official South African partner of the global BirdLife International network.
We are supported by valued members across the country and more than 40 bird clubs nationwide.
We produce a bi-monthly magazine, African Birdlife (https://africanbirdlife.org.za/), regular newsletters,
Whether you’re new to birdwatching or simply care about the natural world, your interest and support help ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy and benefit from South Africa’s rich birdlife
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Mr Mark Shuttleworth
Mrs Gaynor Rupert
Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe
Mr Neville Isdell
Mrs Pamela Isfdell
July 22, 1945 – March 18, 2025
History
1996 brought a significant change: we partnered with BirdLife International, renamed ourselves as BirdLife South Africa, and shifted focus from the study of ornithology to encompass active conservation and education.
Today, as South Africa’s only dedicated bird-conservation organisation and BirdLife International partner, we save threatened species, protect vital habitats such as wetlands and grasslands, promote sustainability that benefits both nature and people, and engage communities through birdwatching, education, and avitourism.
Timeline
Andrew Mitchell
Arthur Plint
Chris Cory
Fanie du Plessis
Germari Pieterse
Mark D. Anderson
Philip Calinikos
Nicky Newton-King
Roger Wanless
Yvonne Pennington
Philip Calinikos
Humphrey Borkum
David Lawrence
Fanie du Plessis
Mark D. Anderson
Isdell House serves as BirdLife South Africa’s head office in the leafy Dunkeld West suburb of Johannesburg, a spot chosen for its central location near key transport links like the Gautrain and its potential as a sound investment. The building, originally constructed around 60 years ago, was redeveloped in 2015 with a focus on sustainability—recycling materials, installing energy-saving features such as LED lights, insulation, and a heat pump for hot water, plus rainwater harvesting tanks to support a waterwise indigenous garden that mimics South African habitats like grasslands and wetlands to attract birds and other wildlife. Named after major donors Pamela and Neville Isdell, and owned by the BirdLife National Trust, it houses administrative spaces, a conservation wing, a library with bird-related publications, and a shop, all without diverting funds from core conservation work. This eco-friendly base supports our efforts to protect South Africa’s birds and biodiversity, and visitors are welcome to explore the garden or learn more about getting involved.
Address: Isdell House, 17 Hume Road (cnr Hume Road/Jan Smuts Drive), Dunkeld West 2196, Gauteng
Gill Memorial Medal (Edwin Leonard Gill 1877 – 1956)
BirdLife South Africa’s most prestigious award is the Gill Memorial Medal, which is awarded for outstanding lifetime contributions to ornithology (the study of birds) in southern Africa.
The inaugural medal was presented to Jack Winterbottom in 1960, and the most recent recipient was Colleen Downs (2023). The list of recipients includes a very renowned group of southern Africa’s distinguished ornithologists.
BirdLife South Africa will send out an annual notification inviting and announcing the closing date for nominations for the Gill Memorial Medal each year.
Enquiries can be sent to [email protected].
Any member of BirdLife South Africa can nominate a candidate and each nomination shall be seconded by at least one other member of the organisation. It is not acceptable for a person to nominate or second their own candidacy. Nominations shall include an appropriate motivation, the candidate’s CV, and a list of the candidate’s relevant achievements, which most frequently shall be in the form of publications.
Members of the Selection Committee can nominate candidates.
The Chairperson of the Selection Committee shall be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of BirdLife South Africa.
If a member of the Selection Committee is nominated for the award, that member shall step down from deliberations in such cases.
All nominations shall be sent to the Human Resources and Governance Manager of BirdLife South Africa. All nominations shall be received by the Human Resources and Governance Manager.
The Selection Committee shall comprise the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of BirdLife South Africa, the Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife South Africa, and the Director of the FitzPatrick Institute.
The members of the Selection Committee shall vote on the nominations.
1960 – Jack Winterbottom*
1964 – Gerry J Broekhuysen*
1966 – Jack Skead*
1970 – Pat Hall*
1972 – Phillip Alexander Clancey*
1975 – Gordon L Maclean*
1976 – W Roy Siegfried
1980 – Con Benson*
1984 – Michael P Stuart “Miles” Irwin*
1985 – Mary K “Bunty” Rowan*
1988 – Richard K Brooke*
1992 – Ken Newman*
1996 – Warwick R Tarboton
1998 – Terry Oatley*
2008 – Ian Sinclair
2009 – William Richard John Dean*
2010 – Alan Charles Kemp
2011 – Peter Roy Barry Steyn*
2012 – John Cooper
2013 – Robert James Minchin Crawford
2014 – Adrian Craig
2016 – Philip Anthony Richard Hockey*
2017 – Leslie Gordon Underhill
2019 – Claire Spottiswoode
2021 – David George Allan (Citation)
2022 – Peter Ryan (Citation)
2023 – Colleen Downs (Citation)
* Denotes deceased
The deliberations of the Selection Committee shall be treated as confidential.
The results shall be forwarded by the Chairperson of the Selection Committee/Human Resources and Governance Manager to the Board of Directors of BirdLife South Africa for approval.
The Chairperson of the Board of Directors shall inform the necessary parties of the outcome and, where positive, shall award the Medal at the next Annual General Meeting of the organisation, which determines the year of the award.
The recipient shall give a Gill Memorial Medal Address at the Annual General Meeting.
The travel and accommodation costs of the recipient’s attendance at the Annual General Meeting shall be paid by the organisation.
The Medal shall be reported in the organisation’s publications and the Chairperson of the Selection Committee shall provide an appropriate biographical account of the recipient.
The content of the Gill Memorial Medal Address shall be published, either in full or in an abbreviated form, in at least one of the organisation’s publications (Ostrich and African Birdlife). The final decision in this regard shall lie with the editors of these publications, as guided by the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation.
For more information, please contact Isabel Human at BirdLife South Africa at 011 789 1122 or email [email protected].
This medal is named after Austin Roberts (1883-1948) who, more than 70 years after his death, remains a household name thanks to the range of bird books that carry his name. Austin Roberts was one of the co-founders and stalwarts of BirdLife South Africa’s predecessor, the Southern African Ornithological Society; he was the society’s first treasurer, later its secretary, and he edited the society’s journal, Ostrich, from its inception until his death. Austin Roberts also played an untiring role in the later years of his life in promoting the conservation of birds.
Recipients of the Austin Roberts Memorial Medal
2014 – John Ledger
2015 – David Chamberlain
2019 – Bruce Dyer
2025 – Pamela Isdell (Citation)*
The Austin Roberts Memorial Medal has been established to honour people who have made a significant contribution to bird conservation in South Africa.
This honour can be awarded for various forms of support; primarily, awards will be made to those who have made a sustained commitment to bird conservation and who have achieved enduring results in enhancing the conservation status of individual bird species, bird communities, key bird habitats or important bird sites, and/or who have brought about positive changes in local attitudes or national policies that have been for the benefit of bird conservation. Actions to safeguard populations of threatened species will rank above those benefitting non-threatened species.
The medal is open to both professionals employed in the conservation field and to non-professionals who have voluntarily applied their time, skills and talents to the benefit of bird conservation.
Provided that a suitable candidate is identified, the Austin Roberts Memorial Medal could be awarded every year. No more than one Austin Roberts Memorial Medal will be made in any given year.
The Austin Roberts Memorial Medal is presented at BirdLife South Africa’s Annual General Meetings. BirdLife South Africa will send out an annual notification inviting and announcing the closing date for nominations for the Austin Roberts Memorial Medal each year.
Enquiries can be sent to [email protected].
