Dr. Joan Mitchell is a partner in Bagbie Farm, a family-run upland farm at Carsluith near Newton Stewart. Her academic background is in Biogeography with a Ph.D. in bracken ecology. She champions hill farming and serves as a trustee of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere. She has been involved with GSAB since its inception, originally as an elected member of Dumfries & Galloway Council and, from 2014 to 2021, as Chair of the Partnership Board. Dr. Mitchell has also chaired the Newton Stewart Walking Festival and served two terms on the Board of Scottish Natural Heritage (2007 - 2013), the FC South of Scotland Advisory Forum, and the National Forest Land Scheme Evaluation Panel. Additionally, she has been a former chair of Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board and Dumfries and Galloway Area Tourism Partnership, a former chair of the Planning and Environment Committee of Dumfries & Galloway Council, and a former Chair of Dumfries & Galloway Access Forum. She was also a former trustee of Cree Valley Community Woodlands. Currently, Dr. Mitchell is a Director of Southern Uplands Partnership, having previously served as Chair.
Dr. Mitchell is without doubt an unsung hero of rural Scotland. Alongside all her other roles, family, and farming life, she has been a fantastic advocate at all levels for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere since before its designation. The GSAB recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. In October 2020, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) announced its second biggest investment to date over five years to the organization. This funding will provide valuable support, create 12 full-time jobs, and assist the GSAB to grow faster, strengthening its standing as a key influencer in the region and helping it achieve its sustainability ambitions. The GSAB is comprised of a major bio-geographic region (5,200km2) represented by an upland massif centered on the Merrick and the rivers that flow from this upland down through forests and farmland to the sea. Landscape mosaics in the area comprise uplands, moorlands, mires, woodlands and forests, farmland, river valleys, coast, and shoreline. The GSAB is working to demonstrate the importance of landscapes and ecosystems for the future of sustainable development in a region undergoing change in traditional livelihoods. As an organization, it creates and facilitates partnerships that support conservation, learning, and a sustainable local economy. The team is also helping communities become more resilient to climate change impacts, making Galloway and Southern Ayrshire a key part of the nationwide drive to achieve Net Zero goals by 2045.