I worked with Jonathan for more than 10 years and he gave me insights into many subjects of which he was an expert, but which were new to me. Despite being an ecologist myself, Jonathan assisted me with his knowledge on soils, planting, seeding, creating new habitats, and more. All of this on UK projects – I was unaware until later of his immense knowledge on Middle East plants. On field visits with Jonathan, I was pleased to be able to lend him some of my identification skills in UK flora, but I think he knew the plants already – he was only being polite. His practical and pragmatic way of working inspired me to look in more detail at ecological restoration and opened my eyes to the work that is required to make it successful. Jonathan was a bridge for me from the inward-facing world of ecological consultancy to a collaborative place, where we work with Landscape Architects, other designers and contractors to create and restore habitats. I was working with him only recently on the NEOM Oxagon project, where he was digging into his comprehensive archives to provide techniques and suitable plants for restoring the desert habitats. Of course, this was his expertise. He will be greatly missed as a colleague, collaborator and mentor.