On 17^th July 2025, everybody at ARC was saddened to hear of the death of Keith Corbett at the age of 84.

Keith’s whole life was dedicated to relentless campaigning and tireless hard work for the conservation of reptiles and amphibians.  His work in the UK started to gain momentum in the late 1960s as a result of his concerns about the lack of attention being paid to the declines in our rarest species particularly the sand lizard.  His field work on building the understanding of why sand lizards were declining – lack of bare sand for egg laying and loss of heathland through lack of management – lead directly to two things.  Firstly, the legal protection of the sand lizard, smooth snake and natterjack toad and secondly the establishment of an active conservation movement prepared to go out and physically take on the management of our heaths.  Keith’s uncompromising character coupled with his engaging charm helped gain the respect of many heathland landowners resulting in some enduring partnerships which survive to this day. He steered a path, with well known collaborators such as Professor Trevor Beebee, Jonathan Webster and Mike Preston which lead directly to the creation of the British Herpetological Society (BHS) Conservation Committee in 1969 and subsequently the establishment of the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT) in 1989 and from that the creation in 2009 of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC).

Keith became HCT’s first employee in 1989 and worked hard to shape the organisation and take more land into management for reptiles and amphibians.  In addition to this he continued to co-ordinate activities across Europe for which he was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Goteburg in October 1994, awarded United Nations Environmental Program Global 500 Role of Honour Award in 1991 and the Hungarian Government Order of Merit for Conservation 1996.

He was chair for European Herpetofauna - IUCN SSC, a trustee of MEDASSET, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles in the Mediterranean and  Chairman of SEH Conservation Committee since its establishment in 1981.  The handbook he edited entitled The Conservation of European Reptiles and Amphibians remains an important stake in the ground across the entire continent.

In 2000, Keith was awarded the honour of Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 New Years Honours list for services to conservation.

Keith was truly a conservationist who made a difference.  He was passionate, articulate and never afraid to speak his mind and, during his time, fulfilled the much needed role of putting the conservation of our often overlooked species well and truly on the map.  Perhaps one of the best examples of that was the Judicial Challenge that he lead and defended in court as a named individual (alongside Prof Trevor Beebee both representing the BHS) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature against the then Bournemouth Council who had granted themselves planning permission to build houses on Canford Heath in Dorset despite its designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.  The Judicial Challenge resulted in Michael Heseltine, the Secretary of State revoking planning permission for the whole of Canford Heath.

Keith’s name and the question “What would Keith have done?” will continue to echo through all of our activities for many years to come, he was a remarkable person and we shall all miss him.