Still they come, from their arctic breeding grounds, to find shelter and a winter haven in Northern Ireland. Whooper swans travelling in family groups, yapping brent geese and the wildfowl and wading birds that tell of the changing seasons.
It is a leap of thought to turn from the stinging wind and focus on what we need to do to keep their futures safe. An essential first step is to ensure that the special places they depend on are properly identified and protected. Northern Ireland is catching up on the process of listing and protecting its best wildlife sites. In the rest of GB they are known as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in Northern Ireland, Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI).
The shock-waves of the Comprehensive Spending Review and reverberating throughout the UK and our colleagues in Northern Ireland are striving to ensure that the progress made in the setting up the most basic level of protection for our best wildlife sites is not undermined; that the value of these vital places is fully recognised. (You can read more here).
The RSPB’s Letter to the Future has already made a difference – but as the cuts play out across the UK, there is still more to do. If you have signed, thank you, if you would like to add your name click here.
The title for this post is taken from Edward Armstong’s evocative book of the same name published in 1940.
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