Peter Jackson (conservationist)


Peter Jackson was a British journalist, photographer and author, who took an interest in the conservation of tigers. Jackson was the Chairman of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission between 1983 and 2000, and subsequently became chairman emeritus. He was a world-renowned tiger conservationist who was involved in tiger research and conservation efforts from the late 1960s.
Jackson worked with Reuters and was the chief correspondent for the India bureau from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1970. His interest in tigers arose during 18 years in India as a news correspondent, which led to work with WWF International, Operation Tiger, India's Project Tiger, and conservation programs in Nepal, Thailand and Indonesia.
Peter Jackson co-authored and co-edited several publications on big cats and tigers, including Tiger! with Simon Barnes, Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, compiled and edited by Kristin Nowell and Peter Jackson, and Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human Dominated Landscapes.
Jackson initially worked independently to promote tiger conservation. In 1983 he became the Chair of the Cat Specialist Group. He held this position for 17 years. In 2004 a newly established subspecies of the tiger, Malayan tiger, was given a name Panthera tigris jacksoni in honour of Peter Jackson.
Jackson died on 8 December 2016 at the age of 90.