Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer
Today, pretty much all RSPB staff from the Eastern region and a few volunteers came together to discuss what we will be doing for the next 8 years - until the big 2020! You may wonder what on earth this has got to do with you. Well, let me take it from the top and break it down into Adam-sized-chunks (for my poor brain to digest what happened).
Firstly, the loss on biodiversity on the planet is continuing, species are becoming extinct at a rate well above the base line level of extinction.
Nature is amazing. More than the economic value of the bee or the rare birds that bring in the twitchers travelling from one end of the country to another, spending their well earned cash along the way. Nature and everything in it - whether it is a bugs, birds or beasts have an intrinsic value. A value in just being.
As a species, we are having the biggest impact on the planet, more than any other.
We are also the solution to the problem - every single one of us.
If we weren't doing what we are doing at present and have been doing in the past - from those keen conservationists, the scientists, the campaigners and the person feeding their birds in their back garden - we would be in a lot worse state.
Species like the red kite - may no longer exist on our shores.
However, things are not going fast enough or at the scale that we can halt this loss in biodiversity and ideally reverse it.
We need to work together with partners, tool up an army of supporters so that they too can fight the fight. We need to be shouting all together with a united voice, shouting in the right direction at the right people.
We need well placed optimism with a sprinking of pessimism to keep us on our toes, to aim high and not stop until we have reached out goals.
We need to do this, we have a duty to do this, but importantly if we do do it, bloody hell will we feel better for it.
Living in a better world sounds good right?
So, looking forward to 2020. We need you, you need us, we need each other to make this happen. That my friend is why today's gathering of great like minded people should hit all the right buttons: it should worry us, inspire and grab us, shaking us into the realisation that now is the time to do your bit.
Thanks for taking the time to listen to my thoughts, let us carry on the conversation and tell me what you think. See you around, see you on Facebook, see you on Twitter. We are RSPB in the East.
Photo credit: Adam Murray