Fersiwn Gymraeg yma
At this time of year, it is perhaps a natural state of mind to reflect on the year gone by, taking stock of all the events that have taken place over the previous twelve months. Balancing what went well with what didn’t, in order to summarise what kind of year it’s been, can be quite the bittersweet task; and while there’s always so much more to do, we can celebrate that we’ve taken our message of nature positivity to many a different place this year. Here are a few highlights!
In the world of birdwatching, January only means one thing – the Big Garden Birdwatch! 26,206 people took part across Wales, returning 15,325 surveys, watching a whopping 513,485 birds! As the biggest citizen science project in Europe, the Big Garden Birdwatch is crucial for our work. It’s an indicator of which birds are doing well and which might need our help - a fantastic opportunity for birdwatchers new and old to get out there and do their bit for the future of Wales’ garden birds.
“We were so happy with how many of the Welsh public took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch this year. Every single person taking part in the Birdwatch is helping to build an annual snapshot of how our birdlife is doing across Wales. It is only by us understanding how our wildlife is faring that we can protect it. We know that nature is in crisis but together, we can take action to solve the problems facing nature.”
- Rhys, RSPB Cymru communications officer.
Taking our message on the telly
Popular BBC series Wild Isles hit our screens in April, showing the natural splendours that these isles have to offer, many of them rarely witnessed by most of the UK’s viewers. But what the programme also did excellently was to show the devastating losses that our nature has suffered over recent decades and why we must act now if we are to reverse and prevent the cataclysmic challenges that both our nature and climate face. We carried this message forward following up from this hit series, with the Saving Our Wild Isles campaign.
“The campaign has been a huge undertaking and it’s been an exciting challenge to work across the three partner organisations. I’m looking forward to seeing how aspects such as Nature Neighbourhoods and the People’s Plan for Nature continue to develop into 2024 and beyond, to make a real difference for nature.”
- Tamsin, RSPB Cymru Campaigns Officer
Farming with hope If we are to reverse the nature crisis, then changes in our agricultural practices are a must. 90% of Wales’ land is agricultural land of some sort, and if we’re ever going to reverse the massive loss of nature that we continue to face, then we need radical solutions which benefit Wales’ hard-working farmers and its nature alike. While we have been critical of the Welsh Government at times in bringing suitable legislation forward, we were however pleased to see a new Agricultural Bill pass through the Senedd in August. "We’ve been pleased this year to see the Agriculture (Wales) Bill become law, where it’s aim is to secure Sustainable Land Management (SLM) objectives, including producing food sustainably, adapting and mitigating to climate change and maintaining and enhancing ecosystems. This signals a new era to farming in Wales and we welcome its ambition. We now hope we can continue to work with Welsh Government to ensure the framework of delivery, the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) can provide the means for Welsh farmers to drive real positive change for farming, nature and climate here in Wales." - Hannah, RSPB Cymru Land Use Policy Officer
Wales makes waves to protect our seabirds Half of the world’s Manx Shearwaters will migrate to Wales’ isles in the spring and summer months. Skokholm is the world’s 3rd largest Gannetry. This is the extent of Wales’ importance for seabirds. It is therefore imperative that the Welsh Government delivers on their commitment to introduce a Seabird Strategy which will protect these magnificent birds who come to us as a critical part of their yearly nesting circle. We created postcards for the public to send to Climate Minister Julie James to pass on the message that the Welsh public are serious about Welsh Government bringing in the promised legislation to save our seabirds and doing so quickly and without delay. "We saw a fantastic response to our seabird campaign, with almost 1000 people contacting the Minister to ask for a seabird conservation strategy to be published for Wales. We have everything crossed that this will come to fruition in the new year."
- Emily, RSPB Cymru Senior Marine Policy Officer
Volunteering to save the Curlew – and a landmark for the Cardiff group
Volunteers are the cornerstone of RSPB Cymru’s work. In Wales, nearly 700 volunteers carry out a wide range of roles, from Administrators to Community Ambassadors, from Species Surveyors to Work Party Leaders, and quite simply, without our volunteers we couldn’t do what we do.
Some of our biggest tasks, such as producing the State of Nature report, begin with the work of our volunteers who are often specialized in one species or habitat, working in the first line, battling with the Welsh elements or behind the scenes, organising and coordinating to make it happen.
A great example of this in Wales is the Curlew LIFE project in Ysbyty Ifan and Hiraethog, where more than 30 volunteers are focused on working with the local farming community to deliver a range of activities, including monitoring the existing Curlew population and improving habitat for Curlew through the creation of wet areas, rush cutting and controlled grazing. Does this sound like your bag? They are looking for Welsh Speakers and a volunteer coordinator!
2023 was also a big year for the Cardiff & District Local Group as they celebrated their 50th year of conservation efforts in the capital. “Half a century of achievements! We must pay tribute to Huw, Sue, Phil, Jess, Angharad and Viv for seeing the group through the pandemic. Thanks also to all the new volunteers who have recently joined the group and will continue spreading their passion for nature across Cardiff during the coming years.”
- Eva, RSPB Cymru Volunteer Development Officer
A summer well spent
The summer months mean only one thing for us – getting out there to events! Engaging with various audiences about the challenges and delights of Wales’ nature is not only an essential part of our work, but it’s an absolute pleasure.
It was a very important and proud moment for us as we joined the Pride 2023 in Cardiff, showing our support and solidarity with all our marginalised communities – nature has no borders, and neither do we. Our pride and dedication to the Welsh language and culture is also unshakeable – and saying a big “shwmae” to people of all ages at this year’s Tafwyl in Bute Park, Cardiff and the National Eisteddfod in Boduan, north Wales, was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate all that Cymraeg has to offer us within the realms of nature and beyond.
“We love nothing more at RSPB Cymru than being out and about meeting people, so it was amazing to be able to do that at different events over the summer right across Wales. Being at Tafwyl and the National Eisteddfod this year was a fantastic opportunity for us to engage with members and supporters. Seeing young nature lovers hunting for bugs in the middle of Bute park in the heart of Cardiff or creating seed bombs to throw into their gardens at the Eisteddfod in Pen Llŷn were personal highlights. Following a very successful events campaign this year, I very much look forward to seeing what 2024 brings to us.”
- Carwyn, RSPB Cymru Events & Communications Officer
There are so many different ways to spread the word about the nature emergency and how we can all play our part in saving Wales’ nature. And we’re massive believers in incorporating Wales’ creative industries – after all, it could be argued that Wales’ rich musical and artistic culture has taken huge inspiration, in both the past and present, from the wealth of nature that we have. In September, we brought the message of nature positivity to popular music venue and café bar PARADISE GARDEN, in ‘natur(e)’ – a collaborated event in the Roath area of Cardiff. Performing live were Ya Yonder and Teddy Hunter, DJ Ginny, accompanied with visuals from Chameleonic.
This was the beginning of a collaborative partnership with one of the most well-loved small music venues in the capital, with the aim of sparking initial and informal conversations and thoughts about the nature crisis in people, using the medium of electronic and ambient music, and visual art.
Another urgent report
October saw the release of the State of Nature report 2023, which gave us yet another sobering insight into how much we’ve seen our natural world decline. It is always tough responding to such devastating news, but losing hope is never an option – we must always act with hope that we can reverse so much of what we’ve lost. And so, we launched the Nature Can’t Wait campaign – calling for urgent action from our elected representatives to react to the detrimental losses that the recent report highlighted. One of our calls in Wales is to form a Welsh Nature Service – not only can such a formation be of benefit to the public (it is well known how much nature helps us in our mental and physical health) – but also the economy. Indeed, we believe that the formation of a Welsh Nature Service and investing in nature restoration would create up to 7,000 jobs in the next decade. We say to the Welsh Government - let’s get on with it.
The above are merely a handful of highlights from RSPB Cymru’s 2023 – there’s so much more to talk about! Follow us on social media to keep up with our work and help save the nature on your doorstep.