A few weeks ago I wrote on here about our current campaign calling on the UK Government to exclude protected areas, national parks and other special places from the upcoming licensing round for fracking for shale gas. The consultation has now closed but the...

Regular readers of our Conservation Director Martin Harper’s blog may know that over the past two years we’ve been fighting to prevent the development of up to 5,000 houses on an ex-Military training ground at Lodge Hill, in Medway, Kent because of the...

You wait months for a blog, and rather like buses, two come along at once! You may have heard our fracking report mentioned on the news today, we are also currently encouraging our supporters to write in to a Government consultation on this issue and I...

We ended 2013 with our big ‘Vote for Nature’ push to ensure that wildlife-friendly farming received the maximum amount of money allowed from the Government’s overall farming budget, and I hope you’ve had a chance to read our Conservation Director Martin Harper’s blog summarising the decisions made in each UK country just before Christmas last year. Jenna Hegarty also told us a bit more about what those decisions mean…

It must have been a whole three months since I was last updating you on our wildlife-friendly farming campaigning! It’s been a long haul, but we’re nearing the point at which the outcome for our countryside will become clear. You may have seen us elsewhere around the RSPB website asking you to Vote for Nature again. That's because around the UK, Governments are making key decisions on our farming for the next seven years…

Carly Jones, Assistant Advocacy Officer for RSPB Cymru, explains why we're concerned about the M4 relief road, and how you can help to speak out for the Gwent Levels. To read this blog in Welsh, visit our 'We Love Wales!' community pages.

The Welsh Government are asking the public for their views on draft plans to build a new motorway around Newport (see image below). The preferred route would cut through…

To round off our party conference season we shall be heading up to Manchester (a city I’m very fond of) this weekend to the Conservative conference for our final RSPB ‘Question Time’ fringe event.

Do join us if you are town – we’ll be in the Whitworth Suite of The Palace Hotel on Oxford Road (M60 7HA for those who like a postcode) and would be delighted to welcome you. Doors open at 6pm…

So this weekend sees the Labour Party conference setting up camp in Brighton and, just like last weeks trip to Glasgow, we are holding another fringe event in true BBC Question Time style.

If you are near the south coast this Sunday why not pop along to Brighton for fish and chips along the seafront then head to the Regency Suite at the Old Ship Hotel, King's Road, Brighton to join in the debate.  Doors open at 8pm…

This weekend marks the start of the Party Conference season, kicking off with the Liberal Democrats who are holding their conference in Glasgow this year. 

As part of the fringe events that run alongside the main conference, we are hosting a Question Time debate on the State of Nature this Sunday at 6pm, at The Hub, Pacific Quay, Glasgow and you are more than welcome to join us should you be in the neighbourhood.  Entry…

Some of our most vulnerable wildlife and our most important habitats face potentially devastating impacts from proposals for new airports or runways in the UK.

Even areas like the Thames estuary are threatened. This wetland home for 300,000 migratory birds, where mudflats and marshes teem with life, has such high international importance that it has the greatest levels of protection possible.

The Government’s independent…

As you may have seen from previous blogs on this community, the RSPB has been campaigning for years to ensure that biofuels don’t harm wildlife and our climate. Now we find ourselves at a turning point – we have a critical opportunity to eliminate the worst  culprits when the European Parliament votes on proposals to place strict limits on the amount of biofuels that can be used in our cars. 

The EU has a target…

Last month I blogged here about some important decisions on essential funding for wildlife-friendly farming in England. We were expecting our Secretary of State for the Environment, Owen Paterson, to have made them by the end of this month. The great news is that the other week he made a clear statement to the entire House of Commons on one of these decisions. He confirmed clearly that he would transfer 15% of EU farming…

Using food for fuel when millions of people are starving is wrong. The ‘If’ campaign is trying to persuade world leaders to stop using corn and palm oil to produce fuel for cars. But it’s not just people who are suffering because of the global demand for biofuels, nature is too. We’ve written before about two wonderful habitats for rare and endangered birds in East Africa – Dakatcha wood…

John Martin and Colum Delaney, Conservation Manager and Policy Advocacy Officer respectively at our Northern Ireland HQ, explain what you can do to help wildlife-friendly farming get the funding it needs.

We know that Northern Ireland’s wildlife is in trouble. The State of Nature report, launched in conjunction with 24 other environmental organisations in late May, painted a worrying picture of declines in a number…

The recently launched State of Nature report has shown us the extent of the hardships facing wildlife in the UK.  An estimated 60% of the UK’s species are in decline, something our Government has committed to halt.  Around 75% of the English countryside is farmed, so farming in a way that looks after nature is one of the largest steps we can take to restoring our countryside’s wildlife.

Many of you have campaigned…

The State of Nature report highlighted the fragility of our natural heritage. We now know the stark message that nature is in trouble and we were hugely disappointed that an amended, draft Planning Bill was brought to the Northern Ireland Assembly with contents likely to further damage our natural heritage.

The Planning Bill initially allowed the consideration of economic, social, and environmental impacts in equal measure…

Allan Whyte, Parliamentary Assistant at our Scotland HQ, explains how you can have your say to make sure wildlife-friendly farming gets the funding it needs.

The recently launched State of Nature report has shown us the extent of the hardships facing wildlife in the UK. It is estimated that 60% of the UK’s species are in decline - a shocking statistic that tell us urgent action is needed to halt this loss of biodiversity…

Children need nature for their health and wellbeing, their education, and the development of vital social skills. However, today's children are less connected to nature than ever before and they’re missing out on these benefits. An additional, disturbing, consequence is that they’re less likely to take action to save nature now and in the future.

A great tool that governments can use to help children…

The first (of hopefully many!) Campaigns Training Days was held at the NCVO in London on Saturday the 23^rd of February. It was a very cold start but as the snow began to fall over Regent’s Canal, our campaigners arrived for a day of campaigns focussed discussions, group work and activities.

Thank you to all those who braved the weather to be there, the day was a success (we received really positive feedback so…

 

Thank you for signing our petition to David Cameron, calling on him to ‘vote for nature’ in Brussels and protect wildlife-friendly farming funds from disproportionate cuts. 

Over 30,000 of you joined our call, an overwhelming response!

The EU Budget negotiations resulted in a deal between the heads of state of the 27 countries, but the outcomes were disappointing for wildlife-friendly farming.  The funds…

 

              The RSPB has a prominent role to play in advocating for better protection of wildlife in the UK. The way that we do this depends on what we are campaigning for and which country we are in. Of the four countries that make up the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved powers which affect how the RSPB, as a conservation organisation, work and who we work with. It is important from a campaigning point of…

A Happy New Year to you (better late than never!)

As promised here’s a bit more on what’s to come campaigns wise in the first part of 2013, this week focussing on the CAP reform....

Many of you have been following our activity around the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Europe. Over 70% of the UK is farmed, so this is an incredibly important policy for UK wildlife. It’s just a tiny proportion…

I hope you’ve had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. There’s a lot going on in 2013 on the RSPB campaigning front. The first half of 2013 sees us campaigning on vital areas including the Energy Bill, CAP reform and our Safeguard our Sealife Campaign to name a few (more to come on these next year).

But its Christmas, or actually its that period of Christmas limbo after the big day…

Have you ever really thought about why you care about the natural world and our environment? Was there a particular moment or special person in your childhood and formative years that created that spark, captured your imagination and taught you to look at things differently?

I believe it’s vital to know why it is we do what we do, so we have a good understanding of how to create that spark in others and help build the…

Campaigning is at the heart of the RSPB, the society was founded to protest against the trade in plumes of feathers in women’s hats. Today the main aims of being a RSPB campaigner are to highlight to your MP or decision maker that environmental issues are important, and to urge them to take positive action.

There are two types of RSPB campaigner:

The Campaign Champion whose role includes, campaign material distribution;…