The UK has voted to leave the European Union.
The RSPB has always believed that, because nature transcends national boundaries, it needs cross-border co-operation to protect it and a common set of international standards that enable it to thrive.
That is why, now the UK has decided to leave the EU, the RSPB believes the UK must continue to act internationally, and look to forge comprehensive international agreements for nature conservation and the environment.
But we also need action at home.
David Tipling's fabulous image of two turtle doves - our fast declining migratory bird
There are millions of people in the UK who love nature – just think about the viewing figures of BBC Springwatch. We need clean air and water, and we want an attractive countryside rich in wildlife.
It is essential that we do not lose the current, hard won, level of legal protection. Given the current state of nature, we should be looking to improve the implementation of existing legal protection and, where necessary, to increase it.
It will now be down to the governments in Westminster, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff to make this happen.
As the new constitutional settlement is negotiated over the coming months (and years?), the RSPB will continue to be a voice for nature, raising the importance of environmental issues that has an impact on people, wildlife and the economy. We will provide a constructive challenge to all governments across the UK where necessary, and give credit where it is due; just as we always have done.
And, of course, trans-national challenges such as protecting our migrating birds, tackling climate change remain, which is why we shall work internationally, as we have done so for over a hundred years, and will continue to act across Europe with our Birdlife International partners to tackle the many challenges facing nature.
In short, we shall continue to do whatever nature needs.
Finally, I hope that all those that have invested so much in this campaign take time to recover. We need our leaders to be at their best as they make sense of this result and to rise to meet the challenges we and nature face. Given that contact with nature is good for the soul, I recommend a visit to a local nature reserve this weekend.
Ben Hall's image of RSPB Arne at dawn (rspb-images.com)
As this shambles staggers towards its conclusion the prize is there for whoever can develop a coherent, positive vision of the future. The change that is coming is inconceivable to anyone brought up with the post-1947 settlement for agriculture and its CAP successor. For the first time both amount and purpose of the money we pay the countryside, up till now almost solely for food production, will be under real scrutiny - and threat. After decades of increasing scorn, mainstream agriculture may actually need the environmental voice on their side. Equally, conservation's deeply engrained culture of always asking for more money as part of any change will simply push its voice further into the long grass as the country hits economic problems way beyond anything we have experienced to date.
The answers are there: particularly the in the pioneering work of the Natural Capital Committee which is demonstrating how we can be richer and have a better environment.
And there can be no question of waiting to 'hold Government to account': the current Government's neoliberal dismantling of the state is bust beyond repair and they have no ideas for a positive future - and there's not a lot of hope amongst the other (English) major parties. RSPB and its fellow travellers - and I hope for once that can spread to landscape, water and recreation lobbies - needs to get out there with its vision of the future and it will be the best and brightest of our future political establishment who will be wise to grasp and adopt it if England is to have any sort of positive future on its own.
If I understand correctly, the Nature Directives are now part of UK law, so would need further legislation to amend or repeal them. Hopefully, there will be so much in-fighting going on within the government that wildlife and habitat protection will escape notice and survive.
A good blog at a rather shattering time.I do so agree that it is vital that the UK and he RSPB continue to act internationally. The expertise and campaigning that the RSPB and its Birdlife partners can bring to nature conservation around the world and in Europe must not be reduced because of this referendum result.
I know the RSPB and other conservation bodies will work tirelessly to ensure the Birds and Habitats Directives remain strong and in. place in the UK, albeit perhaps under different names.
What is certain is that the RSPB will have my fullest support in these troublesome times which are likely to threaten our wildlife.
redkite
To Bob Philpott. Bob, important as Hen Harriers are (and the RSPB is doing a lot, more than anyone else indeed) the whole future of nature conservation in the 4 countries that currently make up the UK is now at stake. Let's not muddy the waters.
Spot on, Mike. It's going to be a long haul and there'll be big challenges ahead. Important to see how things unfold I think - be prepared but don't speculate unnecessarily, as the media and some blogs are so keen to do. We are very fortunate to have the RSPB to fight nature's cause - it's going to be needed.