Last Saturday around 20 million people across the UK tuned in to reality television shows, with a significant proportion of viewers picking up the phone and voting to save their favourite contestant.
Now we’re not going to be in the charts any time soon and we certainly haven’t mastered the quickstep, but here at RSPB Northern Ireland we’re urging people to vote in our poll to help save nature.
The harsh reality is that many of our most loved species and habitats are facing serious declines and even extinction.
The recent State of Nature report revealed 60 per cent of the species assessed have declined in recent years, while one in 10 is in danger of disappearing completely.
Governments around the UK, including Northern Ireland’s Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill, are currently deciding how to spend their farming and land management budgets for the next seven years.
This is the biggest pot of money available (approximately £340m of public money per year) to turn around the declines in our wildlife. By investing in the countryside and boosting support for farmers who give nature a home, governments could help wildlife thrive again.
The jargon surrounding Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) can be confusing but what the RSPB is campaigning for is clear.
We want DARD to commit to devote the maximum amount of money allowed towards funding that helps wildlife in the farmed environment through agri-environment schemes.
For example, sowing areas of wild bird cover provides food for species like the iconic yellowhammer during the cold winter months, while scrub management and good grazing practices help improve habitats for species such as lapwing and Irish hare.
Our question is simple. Do you think government should invest in farming that creates a countryside richer in nature?
Please cast your vote at www.rspb.org.uk/votefornature and join us in urging Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill to give wildlife-friendly farming a future by sending her a pre-prepared email.