Peter Harris is founder and President of A Rocha. He worked as an English teacher and then as an Anglican minister near Liverpool UK, Until 1983. Peter and his wife, Miranda, then moved to Portugal to establish and run A Rocha's first field study centre and bird observatory. Together with their four children they lived at the centre for twelve years conducting field studies, working in schools and living out their Christian faith as part of the local community. In 1995, the Portuguese work was given over to national leadership and they moved to France where, together with national colleagues, they established a similar centre which opened early in 2001.

From France, they assist A Rocha field projects worldwide by providing coordination and leadership. The rapidly growing global movement is now operational in eighteen countries worldwide. The full story is told in Peter's books 'Under the Bright Wings' (Regent College Publishing, 2000), and 'Kingfisher's Fire' (Monarch, 2008)