Jean Balfour

Elizabeth Jean Balfour, FRSA ( Drew, 4 November 1927 – 27 February 2023) was a Scottish professional forester, landowner and conservationist. She earned her B.Sc.(Hons.) in Botanical Sciences from the University of Edinburgh in 1949. She married John Charles Balfour in 1950.

Career and research Balfour is noted for her many contributions to forestry, conservation and land management. She held leadership roles with several organisations, societies and public bodies, and was active in many key decisions related to sustainable farming and forestry over many decades throughout the second half of the 20th century.

She was a partner/owner of Balbirnie Home Farms and Balbirnie Dairy Farm. The Scourie estate was also owned by her. Balfour was interested in arctic-alpine vegetation and took part in many botanical expeditions including Greenland, Ellesmere Island, Spitzbergen, Franz Joseph Land, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and arctic Siberia 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 from 1972 to 1982.

Death Balfour died on 27 February 2023, at the age of 95.

Public appointments Governor, East of Scotland College of Agriculture (since 1990 part of Scotland's Rural College (SRUC))(served for >30 years) Member, Scottish Agriculture Development Council, 1972–1977 Member, Nature Conservancy Council, 1973–1980 President, Royal Scottish Forestry Society Chairman, Countryside Commission for Scotland Vice-Chairman, Scottish Wildlife Trust, 1968–1972 West Sutherland Fisheries Trust, 1996– Chairman, Seafish Industry Authority Deputy Chair, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology, 1993–1994

Awards Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1981) Order of the Falcon (1994) (Iceland) Institute of Chartered Foresters Medal (1996) Honorary Doctorates from University of St Andrews and University of Stirling Honorary Fellow: Institute of Chartered Foresters Fellow: Royal Society of Arts, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Royal Society of Biology (Institute of Biology), Royal Scottish Geographical Society