Coto Donana, an area with exceptionally diverse flora and fauna, came to the attention of conservationists, internationally, in the 1950s. Guy Mountfort's expedition to the Coto Donana in 1957 was followed by the establishment of a biological reserve in 1964 and, later, a National Park. Nicholson, who had been on the Mountfort expedition, participated in a project in the late 1970s involving several organisations, including the World Wildlife Fund, to produce a sound 'Master Plan' for the future development of the reserve, park and biological station.