Twelve-year-old Mya-Rose Craig, who attends Chew Valley School, has been shortlisted as one of the 24 most influential Bristolians under the age of 24, alongside musician, George Ezra, and Maisie Williams.
Mya-Rose, also known as Birdgirl, is the youngest person to have seen over 3,000 different species of bird. She was added to the list, compiled by Bristol's Rife magazine, for her work in the field of bird conservation and writing. Her response was: "I hope that I can use that influence to try and save our planet, along with everything on it. For anyone who is interested in wildlife and conservation, Bristol is an amazing city, as we have so many key organisations offering opportunities. Iam ecstatic to be recognised for my work in conservation and a big thank you to Rife."
Mya-Rose has also been chosen to be Ambassador for the international bird conservation initiative, World Shorebird Day. She has written about her love of waders (shorebirds) and her desire to save them and their habitats. She has a special love for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, one of the world's rarest waders, with only 200 left in the wild and 25 captive birds at WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.
Mya-Rose explains: "Spoon-billed Sandpipers breed in Arctic Russia during the summer and then fly 8,000 kilometres south, all the way to Bangladesh to spend the winter, which is where my family are from. I am going to Bangladesh in February, to do survey work and to also increase understanding of their plight. World Shorebirds Day raises awareness and funds for these birds and I am really proud to be championing their mission."
Mya-Rose is already an accomplished speaker and is giving talks on the subject at the WWT Slimbridge Festival of Birds in January, the Bangladesh Bird Club in Dhaka in February and at the prestigious Oriental Bird Club AGM later next year.