Dr Mya-Rose Craig

Dr Mya-Rose is a British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, blogger and campaigner for equal rights. She is said to be the youngest British person to receive an honorary doctorate in science (a DSc hc from the University of Bristol). Born in 2002, she has been blogging under the name “Birdgirl” since she was 11 and at 17 she became the youngest person to have seen half of all the birds in the world. In June 2022, she published her autobiography “Birdgirl” and is currently studying Human, Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University. When she was 13 years old, she became aware of the lack of diversity in conservation circles and has become a passionate advocate for the rights of visible minority ethnic (VME) children and teenagers. She created the non-profit organisation Black2Nature to run nature camps for black and minority ethnic children and called on white-led organisations in the nature conservation and environmental sectors to wake up the needs of urban ethnic minorities. She has also called on the to change their management structures to embrace Equality Diversity and Inclusion. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bristol University in 2020 for setting up Black2Nature and for her advocacy for equal rights. She has made numerous appearances on BBC and ITV and contributed to Chris Packham’s A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife.