I spent yesterday evening surrounded by the best of the latest crop of wildlife art at the Mall Galleries - but just as stimulating was the company. The reception at the Society of Wildlife Artists annual exhibition was an enjoyable chance to catch up with friends. I met Joan and Gill, as I often do at RSPB events, and we chatted about the Thames. I first met them at the height of the campaign to prevent a four-runway airport being built at Cliffe in north Kent. They were prime movers and shakers in setting up the Friends of North Kent Marshes. Their strap-line is 'Conservation and Communities United', shame they got that one first as it would have been a good title for this blog!
Out of the 'battle pants on' campaign to save Cliffe has come a long and enduring relationship with a great group of people, a relationship that makes the wildlife of north Kent a bit safer. When the alphabet soup of conservation designations (we were campaigning to save Special Protection Areas after all) and the passions and commitment of people who are closest to these places come together, the natural world benefits immeasurably.
The Cliffe campaign was strengthened because the sites affected were designated as Special Protection Areas under the terms of the European Union's Birds Directive. The role of Europe in driving forward environmental legislation has been critical in winning for wildlife over the 30 years since the Birds Directive came into force. So, my good mood of yesterday evening was boosted further when I read this article by Geoffrey Lean. The public recognise that Europe has played a positive role in protecting the environment (in stark contrast to their attitude to much else the EU does). Conservation and communities united - hoorah.
....and how nice it was to meet you again, Andre!
It's certainly been quite a journey we've all been on in the North Kent Marshes, hasn't it? And with Boris Johnson's 'let's just stick it in the Thames' airport island 'plans' just around the corner and all sorts of other developments underway in the Thames Estuary, there are undoubtedly more battles ahead.
Not that we just stand in the way of anything - NIMBYism isn't what Friends of the North Kent Marshes is about. The world is changing and we need to change with it, but what we say is that it should not be at the expense of something of national and international value. The fact that the North Kent Marshes is stuffed with Special Protection Areas marks it out as something akin to St Paul's Cathedral or Stonehenge, something for the nation to treasure rather than trash.
But there lies some of the challenge that RSPB and we face - decision-makers such as Boris Johnson pop down for the day, but without expert guides, and fail to notice our 'Stonehenge' because they don't know what they are looking for. So a big part of what we try to do is to celebrate what is wonderful about the North Kent Marshes - and our thanks to RSPB for helping us see that so clearly in the first place.
Gill and Joan