RSPB highlights of 2016

At this time of year, when the days are still getting shorter, energy levels are low and you are surrounded by people with colds, we all need something to make us feel better. So, to bring early Christmas cheer, here are twelve highlights from the RSPB year. None of these would be achieved without the support of our members and the the dedication of our staff/volunteers working alongside our partners. Thank you for everything that you have done to help.

As you read the stories below, be reminded that, despite all of the pressures, together we make a difference for nature.  And be optimistic that we can do even greater things next year.

Have a great break over Christmas and best wishes for 2017.

RSPB highlights of 2016

1. We continue to grow the number and size of our nature reserves to make more space for nature. In 2016 the RSPB added nearly 1500ha to our owned or leased land - including a new reserve in Scotland, where we will work with the local conservation group to manage the reedbed and open water habitat.  

2. Our reserves provide a home for more than 16,000 species at over 210 sites covering more than 150,000 hectares.  They continue to be an important safe haven for a wide variety of fauna and flora. For example, in 2016, for the second year running, both nightjar and woodlark were at their highest ever numbers on our heathland reserves and 2016 also saw the first evidence of wild breeding of smooth snakes at Aylesbeare – 7 years after the translocation project’s first release.

Image courtesy of Ben Andrew (rspb-images)

3. RSPB wetland reserves continue to support rare breeders and colonisers. Great white egrets fledged 10 young at Avalon Marshes and a pair of little gulls bred at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg and fledged two young. This is the first known successful nesting of little gulls in the UK. A once rare breeder and now brilliant example of a conservation success story, the numbers of booming bitterns on wetland reserves increased again to a record number of 161 at 76 sites.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia 

4. RSPB reserves continue to play a vital role in engaging with the public, increasing connection to nature and educating people. For example Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast is on track to experience a 10% growth in visitor numbers to their new Seabird Centre – with over 100,000 visitors being greeted face to face by staff and volunteers. This creates a unique opportunity to grow support for nature and build popular support and leverage for our casework and marine campaigns.

Image courtesy of Jesper Mattias (rspb-images)

5. RSPB and partnership species recovery projects continue to play an important role in protecting and enhancing biodiversity. The 2016 national cirl bunting survey has shown the population has increased to over 1000 pairs – 10 times more than in the 1980s. This is thanks to a highly successful reintroduction to Cornwall and decades of partnership working with farmers in Devon, supported by Natural England and grants to recover nature friendly farming.

Image courtesy of Andy Hay (rspb-images)

6. Our important island restoration programme continued this year: St Agnes and Gugh in the Scilly Isles were officially declared rat free in 2016, and the breeding population of Manx shearwater has increased from 22 pairs in 2013 (pre rat eradication) to 73 pairs in 2016 (post rat eradication) with two new locations colonised. The rat eradication phase of the Shiants project was completed in March, and so far no rat sign has been detected, which is bringing cheer to the local community! If all continues to go well we will officially be able to declare these islands rat free in winter 2017.

Image courtesy of Ed Marshall (rspb-images)

7. Our International work continues to yield fantastic results. 2016 saw the 10^th anniversary of the hugely successful Albatross Task Force. Bycatch reductions of 80% have been achieved in five out of ten target fisheries and we are well on track to hit this figure in a further two.

Image courtesy of Alastair Wilson (rspb-images)

8. Captive breeding and development of Vulture Safe Zones as part of our vulture programme in Asia also continues, and in 2016 the Indian Government have pledged £200k per annum to the programme, after years of RSPB and BirdLife advocacy work.

Image courtesy of Chris Gomersall (rspb-images)

9. The UK Government has announced the creation of a 23-million-hectare fully-protected marine reserve around Ascension Island. That's roughly the size of the UK! We are delighted that the UK Government has pledged to safeguard at least 50 per cent of Ascension's rich waters, and it is a major success for our work on the UK Overseas Territories.

Image courtesy of Jolene Sim (Ascension Island Government)

10. The 2016 highlight of our work in the Gola forest landscape was the designation of the Gola National Park by the Government of Liberia in September. A variety of livelihoods projects are ongoing, such as building the capacity of over 3,000 farmers in Gola-Sierra Leone in the 70,000ha of forests and farms surrounding the protected areas. This led to the establishment of the first cocoa farmer association, and collection of the first Gola cocoa beans for export in early 2017. Studies have also shown the population of the critically endangered West African Chimp in Gola-Sierra Leone is stable, which is the only example across its entire home range where it is otherwise declining. Finally, we are selling independently verified carbon credits from Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone towards funding this vitally important tropical forest conservation.

11. Fighting to protect our most precious wildlife sites remains vitally important. In 2016 we felt vindicated and very relieved when a judicial review found in RSPB’s favour after we legally challenged the Scottish Ministers' consents for four large offshore windfarms in the outer firths of the Forth and Tay. These developments would lead to thousands of seabirds including gannets, puffins, kittiwakes and other species being killed every year. Unfortunately, the Scottish Ministers have decided to appeal this decision and so we will be back in court again in 2017.  However, we remain confident our case is robust and hope that our actions will encourage other developments to be sited in less sensitive locations in future.

Image courtesy of Andy Hay (rspb-images)

12. And finally...we saved the laws that protect nature! The importance of rallying support behind campaigns was illustrated by the amazing response to our Defence of the Directives campaign. The RSPB joined forces with over 100 other environmental groups to tell European leaders not to weaken the EU Nature Directives. Over half a million people joined us in responding to the public consultation. At every stage in the debates and discussions since, our politicians have highlighted the vast public support for nature protection that we've shown. On 7^th December 2016, we received the fantastic news that the hard work was all worth it – the EU Nature Directives will remain unchanged, and there will be a plan for better implementation and enforcement.