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 view that we are speaking to the right people, and about the right things.
In 1997 there was a referendum which asked Scots if they wanted a devolved parliament. Nearly 75% of Scotland voted in favour of a Scottish Parliament and after the Scotland Act 1998 was passed, a Scottish Parliament was formed, with members elected in 1999. The Scottish Parliament is housed in the fantastic building at Holyrood, designed by Barcelona architect Enric Miralles. The last time the Scottish Parliament met before 1999 was in 1707 when the Act of the Union was passed, which abolished the parliaments of Scotland and England and created a single parliament at Westminster.
“...Scottish Parliament holds the responsibility for a range of environmental and climate change issues”
The Scottish Parliament holds responsibility for ‘devolved matters’ whereas the Westminster Parliament is responsible for ‘reserved matters’. In other words, Westminster reserves the right to legislate for certain things and everything else becomes the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament. Importantly for RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Parliament holds the responsibility for a range of environmental and climate change issues. This means that within the four countries of the UK, the RSPB has to adapt the way we campaign on different issues, tailoring what we do towards the different governments and administrations.
Since 1999, RSPB Scotland has been involved with many campaigns that have been specific to Scotland’s devolved powers. Our most recent high profile campaign has centred on the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the seas around Scotland. This is a good example of how, to be effective, we have to campaign from a Scottish perspective. The different administrations around the UK passed their respective marine acts around the same time (with the exception of NI). The Marine Act in Scotland gave the Scottish Government the powers to designated areas of the sea that would protect the best of Scotland’s marine wildlife.
Photo by: Julia Harrison. Photo from a recent parliamentary event held at Holyrood, organised by RSPB Scotland and hosted by Angus MacDonald MSP.
The RSPB has a fantastic base of knowledgeable and impassioned supporters who care about the environment and are willing to campaign with us for what we, collectively, believe to be in the best interests of wildlife in the UK. In Scotland we have drawn upon this wealth of support to try and persuade the Scottish Government to include protection for seabirds in its designation of MPAs. However the only way for this campaign to be effective is to speak to Scottish supporters about our marine wildlife so they too try to influence the Scottish Government.
Colleagues in Wales and England are engaged in similar campaigns concentrating on issues and processes relevant to their areas. It is only with this regionalised, but collective, approach that we can be successful. We have to draw upon experience and support from all over the UK, but then adapt that knowledge to work at a national and a local level.
With the political system as it is in the UK the RSPB are extremely fortunate to have a great number of highly experienced and innovative people working for nature. We are even more fortunate to have the support from so many members of the public because we simply cannot be an effective campaigning organisation, either on a UK or devolved level, without the voice of our supporters.
As we go forward there is a certain degree of uncertainty about how the political landscape will change in the UK. Next year Scotland will hold an independence referendum, and if Scotland votes yes for independence it will separate from the UK in 2016, followed by a Scottish General Election. There is also a UK general election in 2015, and, if the Tories are re-elected, there will be a referendum on EU membership in 2017. Whatever the future holds, the RSPB and other organisations, have to continue to work in Westminster, Cardiff, Stormont and at Holyrood to make sure that the environment does not become a martyr for the economy. It makes economic sense to invest in our environment after all.
The most effective way of campaigning for a better environment is by sharing ideas and information at a UK level and adapting that to our respective countries.
If you would like to campaign with us and add your voice to RSPB’s million supporters please click here to register. In Scotland, we aim to trial a Campaign Champions programme over the next few months. Campaign Champions will be empowered to campaign at the local and national level on the most important environmental issues of the day. Keep an eye out for more information on our website.
Written by Allan Whyte, Parliamentary Assistant