Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 12, 2016
• Invested on: May 12, 2017

Richard Ian Guy Morrison, C.M.
Ottawa, Ontario

For his contributions to the conservation of Arctic shorebirds and other migratory species.

Richard Ian Guy Morrison’s work as a research scientist at Environment Canada has had a profound impact on the conservation of Arctic shorebirds. His low-altitude aerial population surveys of migratory sites in Mexico, and Central and South America led to the creation of a 15-country network of wildlife reserves stretching from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. A role model and mentor to ornithologists throughout the Americas, he continues to spend considerable time in the field and, in recent years, has focused on Arctic bird species that are the most vulnerable to climate change.