Colin Campbell

Colin was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and after a youth spent bush-walking and spear-fishing was trained in a Zoology and Palaeontology. He spent the late 60's and early 70's in Berkeley, California, acquiring his PhD in studies of marsupial evolution and the ecology of inland Australia as it was 17 million years ago.

The seeds of environmental concern were planted in the Berkeley years, and a professional fascination with extinction processes led him to an ongoing focus on climate change and conservation issues. His work in the 90’s at the Australian National University was as a palaeontologist in a multi-disciplinary group studying post-glacial and modern sea level rise and its impacts on human habitats.

While living in Canberra Colin also served as a member of the national committee of the Australian Democrats, at a time when they held balance of power in the federal senate. Anticipating a move to activism, he studied environmental law for two years at the Australian National University before returning to Canada in 1998 where he lived on the Sunshine Coast, enjoying trout and salmon fishing on the beaches, streams and small lakes, and working as the Forest Caucus Coordinator for the BC Environmental Network from 2000-2003.

In January 2004 he was elected Chair of the Executive Committee of Sierra Club BC, and six months later accepted a staff position as Marine Campaign Coordinator. Earleir work was in support of BC’s Wild Salmon Policy. Presently, his time is occupied with climate change outreach, steering committee work for the SeaChoice seafood campaign, and pursuing a goal of broadening Marine Protected Area policy to include protection of habitats that support critical biogeochemical processes, specifically the sequestration of ‘Blue Carbon’.