Trying to do radio interviews on the East coast in December is always a bit of a challenge. Not only do you have to remember what you wanted to say, you need to make your lips work in the cold as well.
Last Friday I was visiting the Wallasea Island Wild Coast project in Essex where I met Richard Hollingham who is compiling a programme for the One Planet series on BBC World Service (to be broadcast on Thursday 10 December).
Despite the chill in the air – it was a lovely day with a bright sun sparkling on the river Crouch
The programme is looking at the claims that ‘doing nature conservation’ brings a range of other tangible benefits. So, Richard didn’t want me to drone on and on about the superb wildlife spectacle that Wallasea will become – but to focus on the rest of the benefits it will bring.
So, that’s what I did – and it’s an impressive story in terms of direct benefits from employment, tourism, flood defence and the environment. Our partnership with Crossrail and the funding provided by the Environment Agency is making this project one of the biggest the RSPB has undertaken – and the lessons we are learning will be important in shaping projects of this kind in the future.
The pressures of climate change mean we are embarking on an era of adapting our future landscapes to allow wildlife the scope and space to react and survive. These ‘futurescapes’ will be shaped by the people that live in them, visit them, work in them and care what becomes of them – keeping nature at the heart of how we plan for the future will continue to be central to what the RSPB does.
But I couldn’t help going on a bit about the fantastic wildlife that will be attracted to the island or is already benefiting from the first bit of managed realignment on the north shore of the island. Little egrets (one pictured, top)were in every view, picked out brilliant white by the winter sun, small parties of lapwings flickered by on pied wings to settle amongst many others standing on islands and spits left by the high tide. And to crown the occasion a handsome male hen harrier (pictured, lower picture) drifted past, hunting the seawall.
It’s nice when two of our themes come together – Wallasea Island is all about wise investment in a sustainable future – a theme picked up by the RSPB’s Letter to the Future; and that hen harrier, well there’s still time to sign our Bird of Prey pledge - if haven't done so already, do consider signing both!