"It’s nice to be acknowledged. It’s really invigorating that a lot of people seem to think I’m doing the right sort of thing."
Mr Loh was given the organisation’s "Old Blue" award at a ceremony in Wellington at the weekend to recognise decades of contribution to the environment.
Mr Loh’s love of nature began in childhood, when he was enchanted by the complex songs of lyrebirds in Sydney, Australia.
When he moved to New Zealand he became involved with the Native Forest Action Council and in the 1970s campaigned against the logging of ancient rimu trees on the West Coast.
He joined Forest & Bird at the start of the 1980s, then had a long career with the Wildlife Service, which later became Doc.Mr Loh (63) led work to build a boardwalk across a saltmarsh at the Tautuku estuary in the Catlins and in recent years headed a project building a predator-proof fence at the top of the St Clair cliffs.
While the project had not yet led to fairy prions laying eggs, the area had attracted sooty shearwaters for breeding.
Mr Loh has also been active in efforts to control the spread of wilding conifers in Otago and of boxthorn on limestone cliffs in the Waitaki Valley to protect rare native plants.
A great deal of work was needed to save the country’s animals and plants, Mr Loh said.
"I’m quite concerned that there’s a photo of me 35 years ago holding a net full of shags which have been drowned in Otago Harbour, and of course it’s still allowed in the harbour."
He asked the Fisheries Minister for an environmental impact assessment of fishing techniques. He also noticed a loss of Hector’s dolphins in the harbour.
Mr Loh said he was determined to continue his conservation efforts, but hoped others would also take up the fight — "one of the most valuable things is getting out there and seeing what’s happening in the real world."
