Today I am speaking at a conference on “Securing Our Natural Environment for Future Generations” organised by the British Ecological Society and the UK Conservation Agencies. I was asked to give a perspective on future directions for nature conservation and I shall be basing my remarks on this extended essay shown below. Have a read and let me know what you think.

------------------------------------

In…

Every May, the RSPB's trustees and management board spend a weekend visiting part of the UK to get an insight into the breadth of work we are doing on our sites and with partners.

This year, we were treated to three days of sunshine while exploring some of the most iconic landscapes for wildlife in England: the New Forest, Purbeck, and Wiltshire chalk country.

Following the launch of our newest nature reserve,

There are a lot of developments in environmental policy to digest at the moment, both Brexit-flavoured or of a more traditional taste. You will be forgiven if you are struggling to keep up.  To help make sense of it all I, with some help from my hardworking colleagues, have provided this short update with a more detailed spotlight on the future of farming.

Last week, we submitted our response to the consultation on a…

As the dust settles after last week’s launch, we’ve had time to consider more closely how the Westminster Government’s proposals for future governance arrangements after we leave the EU, fare against the tests that we set before its release.

You may have seen my initial response which outlined our serious concerns. We need an environment watchdog that can properly hold government and public bodies to…

Here is a lesson in the power of activism to deliver change.  This week, Network Rail was forced to suspend their rail-side clearance operations during the bird breeding season thanks to the actions of a local resident.  Below, my colleague Tony Whitehead (Communications Manager for the RSPB in the South West) tells the story which highlights what can happen when good people use their voice for nature.  

---------------…

This morning, I asked whether the new Environment Watchdog would have bite and this afternoon, once the Defra consultation had been published, we had the answer: a resounding no.  

This is my comment that we released to the media earlier today...

"These proposals do not set out the ‘world-leading’ environmental watchdog the Prime Minister promised us in January. The Government's green credibility is now hanging by a thread…

Later today, we expect Defra’s long-awaited consultation on a new environmental watchdog to be published. As I’ve said in previous blogs, a robust watchdog is critical to ensure our environmental laws are properly enforced as we leave the EU. Indeed, the Prime Minister herself promised a ‘world leading independent statutory body’ when she launched the 25 Year Environment Plan back in January.

If, like me, you spend a lot of your life in meetings, you probably want to ensure that time spent in those meetings is as useful and enjoyable as possible.

This week, I was struck by the report about Amazon boss Jeff Bezos who has banned the use of powerpoint in meetings and instead starts every meeting with a 6 page memo which people then read in silence for the first 30 minutes of the meeting.

You will all have your…

The last time I visited the Knepp Estate was the weekend following the UK vote to leave the European Union in June 2016.  It was the perfect setting to try to make sense of what had just had happened and consider the implications for nature conservation.   The sun shone as we explored the 3,500 acre former intensive arable and dairy farm which famously had been transformed through rewilding by its owners Sir Charlie Burrell…

If the number of nature books that have been published this spring correlates with a surge in action for nature, the planet should be just fine.  Tomorrow night I shall be attending the launch of 'Wildling' by Isabella Tree which tells the story of the transformation of the Knepp Estate, next month I shall be helping to promote Mary Colwell's book Curlew Moon at the Hay Literary Festival and I hope to have…

“On behalf of the President... For the people of Liberia I officially launch the Grebo-Krahn and Gola Forest National Parks... These Parks are now officially open!”

With these words from Honourable Prince Tokpa, Chair of the Liberian Lower House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, two new national parks were launched yesterday. The second now connects to Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone protecting…

here are some things that only governments can do to help protect the environment. These include actions such as introducing taxes or laws to deter or stop people doing bad things.

In recent years, voluntary approaches had become the preferred approach, yet I know of no environmental problem that has been resolved by voluntary means alone.

So, yesterday’s announcement that the UK Government is consulting on banning…

I wanted to give you a brief update you on what’s been happening with our response to Natural England’s decision to issue a license to pilot brood management for hen harriers.

Since I last blogged on this thorny subject (see here) things have been progressing, albeit slowly, and I am now able to tell you that the RSPB have entered the next phase and have applied to the High Court for permission to judicially…

Last week, 50 experts from 20 countries gathered in Cambridge to examine the evidence required to drive a new global conservation strategy. This was part of a series of events (including a public panel discussion and communications workshop) convened by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative to shape debate about what needs to happen in the run up to 2020, when governments from around the world will meet in China, to adopt…

Back in January, Theresa May launched Defra’s long-awaited 25 year environment plan. One of the many commitments made on that day was that Defra would consult on its plans for a “world-leading environmental watchdog” underpinned by environmental principles.

With Brexit less than a year away, there is an urgent need to establish new arrangements that will replace those that will be lost once we leave…

Six weeks ago, I made a mistake.

I was asked to take part in an event at RSPB Weekend – an adaptation of the TV quiz show, The Chase. The idea was that I would be the all-knowing Chaser up against contestants and the RSPB member audience.

“It'll be fun, the members will love it, you’ll be great”, I was told.

I had a nagging feeling that it might not be fun for me, that I might not be great…

A year from today, the UK will cease to be a member of the EU.

We’re facing a potential ‘cliff edge’ in terms of environmental governance – the means by which we ensure our environmental legislation is properly enforced – and the clock is ticking. This is why, with our partners in Greener UK, we are today launching a call to arms to governments across the UK.

Under the legislation and governance…

Last week’s fishery drama, with its angry fishermen and jettisoning of haddock in the Thames, was widely reported by the media and a gift for the headline writers.  But there was little sign of push back on the bigger questions.  What is the sea for, and who does (or should) it, serve and benefit?  What is the most rational way to manage and share a marine environment which, while harbouring a much more granular…

In late 2010, the UK Government published the Sir John Lawton review of wildlife sites in England: Making Space for Nature.  The headline conclusion was that wildlife needed more, bigger, better and connected protected areas.  The RSPB has been determined to play our part in contributing to this vision through our advocacy, advice to landowners but also practical conservation work. 

We were delighted that this vision was…

Saving the best sites for nature requires persistence, determination and a lot of hard work.  This is exemplified by the ten-year campaign to save Lake Natron from development. My colleague, Bruce Liggitt (Senior International Casework Officer), explains how the campaign was won.

------------------------

Last week we heard the good news that the Tanzanian government’s National Development Corporation (NDC) has decided…

This morning, I spoke at the Environment Agency's Flood and Coastal Conference in Telford.  The long hand version of what I said is shown below.

I followed a sobering talk from Jeff Lindner, meterologist from Harris County, Texas, who described the extraordinary impact of Hurricane Harvey last year which broke the US rainfall record by 47% with 44 inches of rain.  While the UK doesn't experience the extremes that hit…

If you are short of ideas as to what to buy your loved ones this Easter, then why not try new limited-edition chocolate curlew eggs made by artisan chocolatier Mirrie Dancers.   They're palm oil/soya lecithin free and for each bag sold, an average donation of £1.49 will be made to the RSPB Curlew Recovery Programme.

The idea came from Dave Williams who runs Mirrie Dancers in Shetland.  He is fully aware of the crisis…

Many people are keen to know how the RSPB intends to respond to Natural England’s decision to issue a licence for a trial brood management scheme of hen harriers in England.  This blog provides an update.

As stated in our initial comment on the matter and indeed consistent with what I have written before (for example, see here), the RSPB remains opposed to brood management of hen harriers.

This is why, today…

Today is International Women's Day.  It's an opportunity to celebrate women's achievements throughout history and across nations, so I want to put a spotlight on women who have shaped nature conservation across the world. 

Clockwise from left Etta Smith, Rachel Carson, Amina J. Mohammed, Cristiana Pasca Palmer and Gro Harlem Brundtland

Last month, to mark the centenary of votes for (some) women in the UK…

After over a decade of increases, the good news is that the number of songbirds trapped and killed in the UK Sovereign Base on Cyprus fell by more than 70% in 2017: from 880,000 to 260,000 songbirds.  While 260,000 is still 260,000 too many, I am delighted that, as a result of our collective efforts, 620,000 more songbirds have flown on free from UK territory to complete their migration.

I wrote about the issue of bird…