Professor Peter Higgins

Role: Board Member of NatureScot
Date appointed: October 2022

Profile

Professor Peter Higgins is Professor of Education (Outdoor, Environmental and Sustainability Education) at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the United Nations University Regional Centre for Education for Sustainable Development (Scotland).  He is a Board Member of NatureScot and Chair of its Scientific Advisory Committee. 

Following an early career as an environmental scientist, freshwater and fisheries biologist, which included roles such as re-introducing salmon to the River Thames, he trained as a teacher. He is passionate about encouraging learners of all ages and stages to develop an understanding and love of our landscapes and seascapes. In his current role he teaches Masters courses in, through, about and for the natural world, primarily in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Pete is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Field Studies Council, an expert adviser to the UK Commission for UNESCO, and a trustee of The Venture Trust.  Amongst other governmental roles, he chaired the Scottish Government Ministerial Advisory/Implementation Groups on ‘Learning for Sustainability’ and was a Member of the National Parks Act Review Group (2008).