Since last June’s referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, it has felt a bit like watching and trying to influence a 3-dimensional game of chess with the rules being made up as we go along.  Tonight, as the Brexit Bill passes its final parliamentary stages, it seems that the final hurdle before triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty has been overcome.  All this on the same day that the starting…

In the week of the Budget, we received some very good news.

Our Sherwood project (jointly run by the RSPB with Sherwood Forest Trust, Continuum Attractions and Thoresby Estate) has secured £500,000 from the Growth Fund of the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Andrew Percy MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government)  was…

In a budget statement where the Chancellor refrained from using the words 'Brexit' or 'Referendum' even once, it is less surprising that the environment failed to get a mention. Our economists sat through the Chancellor's speech and thought they would get to go home early given the lack of environmental news until they found a few breadcrumbs in the Budget document. Here is what they found...

I have been wearing a stone-curlew pin badge on my lapel this week to mark the recovery of this fabulous species.

Stone-curlews were once widespread in England and numbered two thousand pairs in the 1930s.  However, numbers declined dramatically over the next 50 years when changes in land use resulted in catastrophic habitat loss.  By 1991, only 168 pairs remained. 

Image courtesy of Andy Hay RSPB Images

Yet, this is…

Judge Sturgess once famously said that justice is open to anyone in the same way as the Ritz Hotel –anyone can walk in but only the rich can afford to order. Current moves by the Ministry of Justice to further restrict the process of Judicial Review (JR) will once again make this quote very apt for environmental claimants unless legal action lodged last week by the RSPB, Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth can prevent…

I am often asked what role nature reserves play in modern nature conservation.  There are so many things that we want from land - for example food, clean water and flood protection - some believe that our emphasis should be on engineering wildlife into working landscapes rather than worrying about isolated oases which are expensive to buy and hard to maintain.  Of course, we work with land managers to help provide space…

The Prime Minister has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of next month.   This action will signal the beginning of the end of our membership of the European Union - with March 2019 becoming the deadline for the completion of negotiations.  

So it is time for the UK Government to demonstrate it understands the jeopardy and opportunity that Brexit poses to the environment and that it has a comprehensive…

We don't yet know the future of our relationship with the European Union - the Brexit negotiations still have a long way to go.  But whatever happens, we do know that the UK and its wildlife will remain inextricably linked with the European continent and many of the threats (such as climate change) require responses beyond natural boundaries.

I had a great reminder of this as I joined the BirdLife European partners…

...show the love for everything affected by climate change.

Need inspiration?

Watch this film by Ridley Scott Associates, featuring a bespoke poem written by the award-winning Anthony Anaxagorou, and brought to life by Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, David Gyasi and Jason Isaacs with music by Elbow and the NHS Choir.  

It's a love song like you've never heard before.  It has been produced for The Climate Coalition…

A fortnight ago, I was checking the press release we were issuing in response to the latest plans to develop Lodge Hill.  In it we referred to the 90% decline in our nightingale population in the last fifty years.  I paused on the 90% figure.  It didn't seem right.  I knew the decline was significant, but for some reason I hadn't equated the nightingale decline to that suffered by turtle dove or willow tit.  So, I…

The RSPB’s latest report on crimes against wild birds; Birdcrime 2015, goes live today. Although we’ve been publishing yearly reports on illegal killing of wild birds, this year the report is online. I am pleased to welcome Angela Smith MP, and Hen Harrier Species Champion, to give her reflections on the report and what it means for one species in particular - the hen harrier.

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Since 1973, membership of the EU has played a significant role in shaping environmental policy in the UK. As stated by the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee in a letter to the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU last July: “There are few areas...where the decision to leave the EU will have a more widespread impact than the environment.”

Although the Prime Minister’s speech on Brexit last…

It's mighty cold outside.

But the good news is that it's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend.

This is your perfect excuse to spend an hour indoors sitting with a cup of coffee, watching birds in your garden.

And once you've finished, you could always turn on the telly and catch up with the wonderful Winterwatch on iPlayer...

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a great weekend watching wildlife.

It has been hard to ignore what has been going on in the USA this week where hard fought environmental commitments or policies appear to be eroded on a daily basis.  

But events in the UK have also been moving at pace.  

The remarkably succinct Article 50 Bill has now been published and we also have the promise of a White Paper on the UK Government's Brexit plan.  Clearly, we expect and need this White Paper to be more…

When Defra publishes its plan to address its manifesto commitment to restore UK biodiversity in 25 years, I hope and expect it will remember its responsibilities to the 14 UK Overseas Territories. 

Our UKOTs are mostly small islands, and include two World Heritage Sites of exceptional natural beauty. Their inhabitants are British nationals, and the UK is responsible for helping to protect their incredible wildlife found…

In her much anticipated speech today, the Prime Minister gave more detail on what the UK vote to leave the European Union will mean. 

Crucially, she ended months of speculation by confirming that, in its upcoming negotiations with the EU, the UK Government will not be seeking membership of the EU Single Market.

Why does this matter for nature?

This matters because the trading arrangements between the UK and the EU have…

I am convinced that the RSPB is at its best when, through practical projects, it demonstrates how to reconcile the needs of people and wildlife and inspires others to follow our lead.

With partners, we’ve shown how to farm profitably while recovering farmland bird populations, how to catch fish rather than albatrosses and how to protect homes from flooding while creating new habitat for wildlife.

We recently turned…

I’ve just finished reading a new review (the Hendry Review) on the Role of Tidal Lagoons. I think it is a considered piece of analysis that takes into account the many issues at stake in a place as precious for wildlife as the Severn Estuary.

In particular, I am delighted to see that the Review has taken on board the RSPB’s recommendation that the planned tidal lagoon at Swansea acts as a test project or “pathfinder…

There are 1,092 days until 2020 - the date by which the nations of the world have committed to halting biodiversity loss. That's just over a thousand days to demonstrate that it is possible for our species to change its course and learn to live in harmony with nature.

Statistics about the state of nature at home and globally illustrate the scale of the challenge, and a growing population consuming more creates a…

For the past two weeks, my colleagues Sarah Nelson and Georgina Chandler have been in Mexico attending the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  They have been working with our BirdLife International partners to encourage the nations of the world to intensify efforts to halt biodiversity loss.  Here is their assessment of progress that has been made...

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10 Highlights…

At this time of year, when the days are still getting shorter, energy levels are low and you are surrounded by people with colds, we all need something to make us feel better. So, to bring early Christmas cheer, here are twelve highlights from the RSPB year. None of these would be achieved without the support of our members and the the dedication of our staff/volunteers working alongside our partners. Thank you for everything…

Last night, I participated in a debate about our vision for 2040.  The context, of course, was the Conservative Government’s 2015 manifesto commitment to restore biodiversity in 25 years which will be brought to life through Defra’s ‘soon’ to be published 25 year environment framework. 

To prepare for the debate, I thought I would see what the futurists are predicting about social trends, technological…

While EU Commissioners were announcing that the EU Birds and Habitats & Species Directives were safe (here), the nations of the world are also meeting in Mexico to discuss progress on meeting their international commitments to halt the loss of biodiversity.  My colleagues, Sarah Nelson and Georgina Chandler, are in Cancun to encourage leaders to increase ambition and action. Here, they share the findings of a new report…

It’s been a roller-coaster of a year and so, as 2016 draws to a close, I am delighted to be able to report good news about European wildlife - news which also has huge significance for the future of nature conservation in the UK.

Following a comprehensive 2-year evaluation process, the European Commission announced yesterday that the EU Birds and Habitats & Species Directives (the ‘Nature’ Directives) would not…