Any one got any thoughts on the RSPB’s central management decision to categorise all their woodland reserves as Category 4…Of no value to the RSPB strategy… and is mothballing (at best) or SELLING (at worst) despite the fact that woodland has, as a resource for nature, been identified as poorly managed nationally and, since the 1970s 70 to 80 percent of the birds living in woodland have been lost to us? A free thoughts come to mind for discussion: 1. RSPB management have forgotten what they are about, 2. Birding ids much more difficult, and therefore not as profitable as it is in Category 1 and 2 reserves… Wetland, Estuarine, Cliff
Sorry, one more point i would make is that rewilding cannot happen without management. There are very few, if any, places which, if left, will be left alone by humans, will become quality areas of habitat. We do not have areas of land large enough to adopt this form of management, we have to concentrate areas that are left to make them attractive to wildlife to make them as good as possible for wildlife to prosper, and that can only be achieved through management.
Many thanks for that comprehensive explanation, Andrew. Long live Britain's well-managed woodlands!
Ha haaa, and all the other habitats and wild places that the RSPB bureaucrats see as unimportant in yet another incompetent organisational reorganisation!!!! It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
I’m waiting for the bus from Middlesbrough Bus Station back to Gateshead/Newcastle after being to Saltholme all day. I’ve just received the latest monthly newsletter from Mark Avery. I haven’t read that Newsletter as of yet. I’ll have a look when I arrive home if there is any further news about the cuts at the RSPB.
Regards,
Ian.
Any chance of someone posting a link to the re-categorisation/ staff restructuring document(s)? Is there a reason why the RSPB and contributors to this thread are being so coy? Surely, it's best to get things out in the open so anyone who wants to can join the debate.
Hey Jim...the point you have made here is absolutely fundamental and what brought about this chat. I posted the original document and very quickly, within hours my reserve manager was being pressurised by his line manager, who presumably received a request from his line manager (etc), telling him, to tell me, to remove the link to the Reserves Categorisation document, which I did. My line manager was then told to ask me to close the chat. I replied to my manager saying that I was not prepared to do this until somebody up the chain asked me to. I then had a conversation with his area line manage, to whom I put my reasoning behind my uploading of the document and the reason I started the chat in the first place...freedom of speech, the right of all paying members of the RSPB to be able to see and comment on the document etc... after about an hour of this chat he said to me either I close this chat or the RSPB would close it. I found that I did not have the permissions to close the chat and informed the line manager that I could not do it so the RSPB would have to do it for me....they obviously have not got round to it!!! my point is...if anything is uploaded, the RSPB police descend on you, via your line manager, to curb the right members have to comment. The reason I have not put up the new document...which outlines that most of the redundancies that were planned are going to happen and that the decisions about the closure and mothballing (with a view to later disposal???)of reserves, closure of many of the reserve shops etc will happen after further consultation with reserve managers....relates to the fact that everything I do results in pressure on my line manager. A similar thing has happened to a fellow volunteer who talked about contacting the press...immediately pressure was brought to bear. The RSPB is becoming quite an unpleasant organisation, and behind those smiling faces there are a group of people who are quite autocratic and who are more interested in finding ways to save money that conserve wildlife. Tis is not the first time they have tried dramatic reorganisations or the RSPB, and it probably won't be the last...the problem is that they are just not very good at it and they don't understand that it is more important to find ways to PRESERVE HABITAT AND WILDLIFE, rather than find short term ways to SAVE MONEY....I mean...selling land to save money...reeeeealy
Thanks again, Andrew. It is disappointing that the management seems to have shut up shop on this particular issue. If the debate were to be opened up, there would surely a good chance that some creative spark would come up with ideas (and potential sources of finance ) to keep the show on the road. If any staff member or volunteer is minded to do so, feel free to email me (anonymously if preferred) the documents at: gulfdoctor@aol.com.
It might also be quite a powerful message if individuals committed to the conservation cause and bringing back to RSPB to the top notch conservation organisation that it was, were to email the RSPB asking for a copy of the document…In fact ANYONE READING THIS PLEASE DEMAND YOUR COPY OF THE CONSULTATION OUTCOME DOCUMENTS FROM THE RSPB. I would be interested to hear about their response to requests. I will see if i can find any contact details of individuals who need to be put on the spot.