Dick Balharry, a self-taught naturalist who received an honorary doctorate from Abertay University, has died.
Mr Balharry, a champion of wild land who was made an MBE in 1996, was a highly sought-after lecturer and debater in large public gatherings.
He was awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s prestigious Geddes Environmental Medal just over a week before he passed away.
He began his working life as an under-keeper in Argyll and joined the Nature Conservancy Council aged 24 in May 1962 as Warden of Britain’s first National Nature Reserve, Beinn Eighe.
There, Mr Balharry gained a reputation for pioneering the regeneration of pine woodland.
He played a pivotal role in the management of Creag Meagaidh NNR when the Nature Conservancy Council bought it in 1985, working to reveal the benefits of effective deer control to enable woodland regeneration.
Mr Balharry retired from Scottish Natural Heritage in 1997, as area manager for Badenoch and Strathspey, Moray and Nairn, but then launched into a range of ambassadorial and senior management roles.
He chaired the John Muir Trust from 2003 to 2010, and in January 2010 was appointed interim chairman of the National Trust for Scotland.
In 2010 he received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Abertay University.
He is survived by his wife Adeline, children and grandchildren.